December 11, 1994 - Russia Invades Chechnya

Human Rights a Day

Russian troops invade Chechnya, sparking years of terrorism and unrest. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, many states declared independence from Russia, including Chechnya. Only three years later, however, on December 11, 1994, Russian President Boris Yeltsin ordered troops to take control of the region. Tanks rolled into the streets of the capital, Grozny, with many Russian soldiers being killed. After a massive public outcry, Yeltsin withdrew the troops and signed a peace accord that gave Chechnya more autonomy than it had held under Soviet rule, but stopped short of granting it independence. Battles and guerrilla warfare went on for years in this Muslim-dominated, oil-rich region. When President Vladimir Putin took power in Russia, he tried to end the rebellion with force. The fighting continued until the Russian Federal forces were able to take control of Grozny and most of the regions by February 2000, installing a pro-Moscow government. Since that time, Russians have endured occasional acts of terrorism as some Chechnyans attempt to procure full independence.