The political events surrounding the fall of the Soviet Union gave the Chechens an opportunity to obtain more autonomy from Russia. As Chechens attempt to create a more independent state the issue of building a stable economy has forced them to take on a more regional cry for independence from the Russian Federation. The result has been the proliferation of terrorist acts throughout the Caucasian region. The role of landscape in shaping the geography of this conflict is crucial to understanding the political, military and economic developments of this situation.

By November of 1990, Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika had encouraged the formation of the First Chechen National Congress. General Dzhokhar Dudaev, a popular Chechen General in the Soviet Air Force, was asked to be the leader of the Chechen nationalist movement. Russian President Boris Yeltsin's message of nationalism and independence from an old, inefficient communist system were popular among many of the ethnic minorities in the Soviet Union. The widespread discontent with Chechnya's Communist leadership, allowed Dudaev and his nationalist supporters take control of the governing infrastructure of Chechnya by force. Dudaev gained support from Moscow and this legitimized his authority as he began to forcefully fill the void of the receding Soviet government.

 

 

 

Yeltsin's government was evolving rapidly over the period immediately before the first Chechen War, and those changes contributed to the eventual military conflict. Hawks that refused to recognize Dudaev as anything other than a criminal and a terrorist slowly dominated Yeltsin's inner circle of advisors. Chechnya's independence also destabilized the region as it caused fighting between North Ossetiia and Ingushetiia over the Prigorodni District on their border. Yeltsin increased military support of the Chechen groups that opposed Dudaev.In November of 1994 opposition forces captured Russian soldiers fighting with opposing Chechen groups. Now that Russia's military involvement in the region was public, Yeltsin responded by deploying more troops to the area, thus beginning the first Chechen War.

 

The landscape played a crucial role in the conflict, as the Russians were able to push the Chechens out of the open river valleys, and up into the treacherous mountains where the terrain worked against the Russian military. The conflict went on for two years and only served to destroy Yeltsin's popularity and Chechnya's economy. Dudaev was assasinated. The Chechens eventually forced the Russians to sign a seize-fire in August of 1996 by wearing the Russians down with guerilla warfare and acts of terrorism. The period from August of 1996 until August of 1999 is one in which factionalism and terrorism derail any hopes of avoiding another major military conflict.

 

In August of 1999, a joint raid upon a town in Dagestan by Chechens, Dagestani Wahhabis and other Islamic groups resulted in a massive Russian air and campaign in Chechnya. President Vladimir Putin took power after Yeltsin resigned on the last day of December in 1999. Putin has cracked down even harder on the Chechen people, yet was not criticized as much as Yeltsin.