First Chechen War
1994 · Chechen Republic (North Caucasus) · World · Modern
The Khasavyurt Accord of August 1996 brought a ceasefire; Russian troops withdrew, and the question of Chechnya's status was shelved for five years.
Belligerents
Russian Federation
- Commanders
- Grachev, Kulikov
- Strength
- Peak deployment about 70,000
Chechen separatist forces
- Commanders
- Dudayev, Maskhadov, Basayev
- Strength
- About 15,000 regulars and militia combined
Background
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Chechnya under Dudayev declared independence in 1991. In December 1994, Yeltsin ordered troops in.
Course of the battle
- AdvanceIn December 1994 Russian forces advanced into Chechnya along three routes.
- Bloody fighting in GroznyIn the street fighting around New Year 1995, armored columns were destroyed in large numbers inside the city.
- Withdraw to the mountainsAfter Russian forces took control of the plains, the fighting moved into the southern mountains and bogged down into a long war of attrition.
- Counteroffensive and ceasefireIn August 1996 Chechen forces retook Grozny in a surprise attack, and the two sides soon signed a ceasefire.
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 1994 |
|---|---|
| Place | Chechen Republic (North Caucasus) |
| Result | The Khasavyurt Accord of August 1996 brought a ceasefire; Russian troops withdrew, and the question of Chechnya's status was shelved for five years. |
| Winner | Chechen forces (Russian troops withdraw) |
| Casualties | Official Russian figures put military deaths at about 5,500; Chechen fighters and civilians died in the tens of thousands, and the city of Grozny was almost razed. |
| Territorial change | Chechnya was autonomous in practice, but its sovereignty remained unresolved. |
Impact
The war exposed the state of readiness and command of the Russian army after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and it is a landmark case of urban street fighting becoming a central problem of modern warfare once again. It also changed the course of Russian domestic politics.
See the world in 1994 on the map →