Second Chechen War
| Second Chechen War | |||||||||
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| Part of the Chechen-Russian conflict and the Post-Soviet conflicts | |||||||||
From top to bottom, left to right: | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (1999–2007)
Caucasus Emirate (2007–2009)
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Boris Yeltsin Vladimir Putin Dmitry Medvedev Vladimir Shamanov Igor Sergeyev Anatoly Kvashnin Viktor Kazantsev Nikolai Patrushev Gennady Troshev Killed generals: German Ugryumov † Mikhail Malofeev † Mikhail Rudchenko † Nikolai Garidov † Igor Shifrin † Pavel Varfolomeev † Gennady Shpigun (POW) Alexandr Otrakovsky † Stanislav Korovinsky † Gaidar Gadzhiyev † Pro-Russian Chechens: Akhmad Kadyrov X Ramzan Kadyrov Alu Alkhanov Ruslan Yamadayev X Sulim Yamadayev X Said-Magomed Kakiyev Adam Delimkhanov Buvadi Dakhiyev † Apti Alaudinov |
Aslan Maskhadov † Abdul Halim Sadulayev † Dokka Umarov Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev X Shamil Basayev † Ruslan Gelayev † Akhmed Zakayev Aslanbek Ismailov † Vakha Arsanov (POW) Aslambek Abdulkhadzhiev † Ramzan Akhmadov † Rizvan Akhmadov † Zelimkhan Akhmadov X Khunkar-Pasha Israpilov † Isa Astamirov † Aydamir Abalayev † Akhmad Avdorkhanov † Ruslan Alikhadzhiyev (POW) Turpal-Ali Atgeriyev (POW) Lechi Dudayev † Arbi Barayev † After 2006: Khuseyn Gakayev Aslambek Vadalov Aslan Byutukayev Supyan Abdullayev Tarkhan Gaziyev Arab Mujahideen: Ibn al-Khattab X Abu al-Walid † | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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Russian claim: 80,000 (in 1999) Chechen claim: 462,000 |
9,000 (in 1999) 7,000 (in 2000) Russian claim: ~22,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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Russian military data: 6,000–6,300 soldiers killed 1,072 Chechen police officers killed Chechen claim: 2,004 killed (1999–May 2000) Independent estimates: 9,000–11,000+ killed (1999-Feb. 2002; Janes) 5,810 killed (Aug. 2002-Aug. 2003; IISS + CSIS ) 14,000 killed (1999-March 2005; Committee of Soldiers' Mothers) |
Chechen claim: 14,113 killed (1999–2002) 2,186 killed (2003–2009) 6,295 captured (2003–2009) | ||||||||
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Civilian casualties Estimate total number of casualties: 30,000 civilians dead (25,000 killed and 5,000 missing) according to AI ~80,000 killed in Chechnya (GfbV estimate) More in neighbouring regions 40,000–50,000 civilians killed (Kramer) More than 600 killed during attacks in Russia proper. Total killed military/civilian: ~50,000–80,000 | |||||||||
The Second Chechen War (Russian: Втора́я чече́нская война́, Chechen: ШолгIа оьрсийн-нохчийн тӀом, lit. 'Second Russian-Chechen War') took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russian Federation and the breakaway Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from August 1999 to April 2009.
In August 1999, rogue Islamists from Chechnya infiltrated Dagestan in Russia. Later in September, apartment bombings occurred in Russian cities, killing over 300 people. Russian authorities were quick to blame Chechens for the bombings, although no Chechen, field commander or otherwise, took responsibility for the attacks. During the initial campaign, Russian military and pro-Russian Chechen paramilitary forces faced Chechen separatists in open combat and seized the Chechen capital Grozny after a winter siege that lasted from December 1999 until February 2000. Russia established direct rule over Chechnya in May 2000, although Chechen militant resistance throughout the North Caucasus region continued to inflict many Russian casualties and challenge Russian political control over Chechnya for several years. Both sides carried out attacks against civilians. These attacks drew international condemnation.
In mid-2000, the Russian government transferred certain military responsibilities to pro-Russian Chechen forces. The military phase of operations was terminated in April 2002, and the coordination of the field operations was given first to the Federal Security Service and then to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in mid-2003.
By 2009, Russia had disabled the Chechen separatist movement, and mass fighting ceased. Russian army and Interior Ministry troops ceased patrolling. Grozny underwent reconstruction, and much of the city and surrounding areas were rebuilt quickly. Sporadic violence continued in the North Caucasus; occasional bombings and ambushes against federal troops and forces of the regional governments in the area still occur.
In April 2009, the government operation in Chechnya officially ended. As the bulk of the army was withdrawn, responsibility for dealing with the low-level insurgency was shouldered by the local police force. Three months later, the exiled leader of the separatist government, Akhmed Zakayev, called for a halt to armed resistance against the Chechen police force from August. This marked the end of the Second Chechen War. The death toll of the conflict is unknown, but the total loss of human life, including combatants and non-combatants, is estimated to be over 60,000.