MILITARY-POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS ON THE TERRITORYOF THE CHECHEN REPUBLIC PRIOR TO THE SIGNINGOF THE “KHASAVYURT AGREEMENTS”

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to briefly reconstruct the military situation in Chechnya, as well as the political situation in Russia, which had an important impact on the outcome of the military campaign in the Chechen Republic after the presidential elections in 1996. I analyzed texts and publications based on the memoirs of generals A. Kulikov, G. Troshev, K. Pulikovsky, V. Shamanov, as well as on the reports of the Russian mass media from July-August 1996. The results show that the conclusion of peace agreements and the subsequent withdrawal of federal troops were politically determined by the re-election of the President Boris N. Yeltsin. Moreover, the signing of the agreements divided Russian society and led to sharp criticism on the part of the Russian military leaders. The defence authorities insisted on a large-scale operation to destroy militant forces. The article is intended for specialists teaching the course "Modern History of Russia".