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First Chechen War
1994–96 invasion of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria by the Russian Federation / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The First Chechen War, also referred to as the First Russo-Chechen War, was a struggle for independence waged by the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria against the Russian Federation from 11 December 1994 to 31 August 1996. This conflict was preceded by the battle of Grozny in November 1994, during which Russia covertly sought to overthrow the new Chechen government. Following the intense Battle of Grozny in 1994–1995, which concluded with a pyrrhic victory for the Russian federal forces, Russia's subsequent efforts to establish control over the remaining lowlands and mountainous regions of Chechnya were met with fierce resistance and frequent surprise raids by Chechen guerrillas. The recapture of Grozny in 1996 played a part in the 1996 Khasavyurt Accord (ceasefire), and the signing of the 1997 Russia–Chechen Peace Treaty.
First Chechen War | |||||
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Part of the Chechen–Russian conflict and post-Soviet conflicts | |||||
![]() A Russian Mil Mi-8 helicopter brought down by Chechen fighters near the Chechen capital of Grozny in 1994. | |||||
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Belligerents | |||||
Foreign volunteers: |
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Commanders and leaders | |||||
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Strength | |||||
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Casualties and losses | |||||
Official estimates: 3,000 (Chechen estimate) 3,000+ (Russian military data)[16] Independent estimates: Approx. 3,000+ killed[lower-alpha 1] (Nezavisimaya Gazeta)[17] 3,000 killed (Memorial)[18] ![]() |
Russian estimate: 6,000+ soldiers killed or missing 18,000 wounded[19] Independent estimates: 14,000 killed (CSMR) 9,000+ killed or missing. Up to 52,000 wounded (Time)[20] | ||||
100,000–130,000 civilians killed (Bonner)[21] 80,000–100,000 civilians killed (Human rights groups estimate)[22][23] 30,000–40,000+ civilians killed (RFSSS data)[24] At least 161 civilians killed outside Chechnya[lower-alpha 3] 500,000+ civilians displaced[citation needed] |
The official Russian estimate of Russian military deaths was 6,000, but according to other estimates, the number of Russian military deaths was as high as 14,000.[25] According to various estimates, the number of Chechen military deaths was approximately 3,000–10,000,[17] the number of Chechen civilian deaths was between 30,000 and 100,000. Over 200,000 Chechen civilians may have been injured, more than 500,000 people were displaced, and cities and villages were reduced to rubble across the republic.[26]