A brief history of the First Chechen War, 1994-1996. Even this war the Russians prefer calling the First Chechen “Campaign.”

The collapse of the USSR in 1991 marked the end of the Cold War. Few empires disintegrate peacefully and this time was no exception. Regional conflicts broke out but none were as bloody and destructive as the First Chechen War.

To understand the causes of the Not-So-First First Chechen War we need to look back a few centuries. The history of Chechnya and the rest of the Northern Caucasus is as complex as the ethnic composition of the region.

In the middle ages, the region saw empires come and go. The Khazars, the Mongols, the Timurids. The Chechens distinguished themselves as one of the few peoples who managed to successfully defend against the Mongol invasions.

However, it nearly destroyed their state and contributed to the rise of a decentralized clan-based martial society. Even to this day division by Taip or client exists among the Chechens. In the 16th century, the Ottomans and Persians started clashing for control over the region.

Around the same time, the Russians started attempting to establish settlements. Mountainous terrain and resistance of the local population made expansion difficult for everyone.

Nonetheless, the strategic importance of having a natural barrier with the Ottoman empire kept the Russians trying, especially considering how many times the Russians and the Ottomans fought each other over the centuries.

With the incorporation of eastern Georgia in Transcaucasia in 1800 into the Empire, the Russians were ready to properly invade the Northern Caucasus. Any serious attempts had to be delayed though due to the baguette wars in Europe of the early 19th century.

To aid their conquest of the Caucasus, the Russians established Grozny, a frontier fort, in 1818 along with sending a 50 000 strong force. The Chechens and other Muslim peoples united into the Caucasian Imamate to oppose the invaders.

Hit and run guerrilla tactics and a sense of clan honor inspiring the defenders made conquest difficult. The Russians committed more and more resources, quadrupling their initial invasion force by 1857. The conflict ended in 1864 with the annexation of the Northern Caucasus.

In the aftermath ethnic cleansings and an exodus of the local population took place.

But there was peace at least until 1917. The Great October Revolution kicked off the Russian Civil War, a multi-faction mosh pit of the reds, whites, foreign intervention forces, anti-bolshevik left, and nationalist separatists.

The people of the Northern Caucasus made their bid for independence and formed the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus. The short-lived republic ended in 1921 with a red occupation and incorporated as an autonomy into the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and not as a constituent republic of the USSR. This is going to be important 70 years later. With Stalin assuming control in 1922 came wholesale oppression. By 1940 a group of Chechen and Ingush intellectuals had enough of Stalin's rule.

Encouraged by the lackluster performance of the Red Army in the Winter War against Finland, they established a guerrilla movement for independence under the leadership of Khasan Israilov, a Chechen journalist and poet.

The Soviets did not respond immediately and in 1941 they were too busy dealing with a non-consensual schnitzel blitz deep into the motherland. The insurrection started small but went into full gear in 1942 with parts of Chechnya seeing an 80% participation rate among males.

The same year the rebel provisional government also received support from the Third Reich. However, the support is somewhat questionable. The Soviets responded with carpet bombings and reprisals against local civilians.

By 1944 the rebellion was quelled and those who survived were deported en masse to Kazakhstan. At least a quarter of the Chechen population perished in these deportations. The autonomous republic for Chechens and Ingushes was stripped of its autonomy.

Khruschev's thaw followed Stalin's oppressive winter and in 1957 the Chechens were officially allowed to return to their homeland. Their autonomy was restored. But as the Soviet Union was still Soviet the policy of Russification was still in place.