The first Chechen war (1991–96)
Over the course of 1994, Moscow attempted to foment a coup by backing anti-Dudayev groups within Chechnya. When these efforts failed to yield fruit, President Boris Yeltsin in November ordered the Chechens to peaceably accept Russian sovereignty or face armed intervention. When the Chechens did not surrender the reins of government, Russia invaded with a force of 40,000 men on December 11, 1994.
The second Chechen war (1997–99)
Although the Kremlin had opposed the U.S. and allied European bombing of Yugoslavia under the aegis of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) earlier in 1999, in September, the Russians in Grozny emulated the NATO strategy of strategic air offensives. At month's end, however, it became clear that bombing alone would not be enough, and as midnight approached on September 30, several thousand Russian soldiers, with the support of some 1,000 armored vehicles, advanced into northern Chechnya.
At the end of October came an announcement from Russia's defense minister, Igor Sergeyev, that Russian troops would remain in Chechnya "for a long time and seriously." This marked a reversal of Moscow's claim, made at the beginning of the offensive, that it was acting only to stop Chechen incursions into Dagestan. Meanwhile, the Russians had set up a government under the leadership of a pro-Russian parliament whose members had been living in Moscow since 1996.
Chechnya since 1999
The Russian and Chechen governments held a referendum in April, 2003, that saw large voter acceptance for a new Russian-backed constitution. Critics in Chechnya, however, charged that the referendum and constitution were simply a means toward providing an illusion of self-rule. Internationally, leaders of human rights groups, as well as some Western officials, described the election as an attempt by the Kremlin to avoid negotiation with guerrilla forces
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