Chechen Terrorism (Russia, Chechnya, Separatist)

1. Where in the Russian Federation would you find Chechnya?

Chechnya is located in Northern Caucasus which is in the Northern
part of Georgia.
2. How are the Chechens different from the Russians?
The Chechens are Muslim based group that resists being taken
control of by Russia. During the second world war Stalin claimed
that the Chechens were communicating with the Germans and
deported them all.
3. Did the Chechens gain independence from tsarist Russia after
the 1917 Russian Revolution? Explain.
Yes but only for a small amount of time. In 1921 Chechnya joined
Kabordino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, and Ingushetia to form what
they called Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
However, the Soviet Union gained control over them the next year.
4. What did Stalin do to the Chechens during WWII? Why did he
do this?
Stalin accused them of communicating and cooperating with the
Nazis and deported them all to Siberia. Only after Stalin died were
they survivors able to return.
5. Who changed their fate, and how was their fate changed?
With Khrushchev as the president, he allowed the Chechens to
return to the land they lived in before they were deported.
6. What was the first Chechen War? [Who started it? When?
Why? Results?]
The First Chechen War was when Russia fought the Chechen
Guerillas from 1994 to 1996. The war started when Boris Yeltsin
refused to give the Chechens their independence. Russia was unable

to take over the Chechnyas mountainous terrain while losing

thousands of lives.
7. When was the second Chechen War? [Who started it? When?
Why? Results?]
The Russian bombings and Dagestan invasion led the Russian militia
into the second Chechen war. This time, Russia took over
Chechnyas capital killing thousands and destroying the city.
8. Prior to his death in 2006, the separatist Basayev was deemed
to be responsible for the most notorious event to that point in
time. Identify this event. How many deceased militants in this
event were NOT Chechen? Why might this be a significant change
in the Chechen Wars?
The best known attack was in September of 2004. A leader named
Basayev ordered for his militants to attack a school. 300 people
were killed and most of them were the school children and only
three were Chechens.
9. According to the American ambassador to Russia, what
terrorist group is assisting the Chechen rebels? How/why
might Americans who were once sympathetic to the Chechen cause
for independence from the Russian Federation have changed?
Alexander Vershbow, the US embassador for Russia, says that the
Chechens are associating with Al-Qaeda. If he is right, the
Americans would not have any sympathy for the Chechens and would
not jump to their feet to help them.
10. Do you believe the Russians should grant Chechnya their
independence? Why or why not? [Answer this question in
paragraph format (minimum of six sentences).]
I personally believe that the Chechens should gain their
independence. I am not choosing my decision in benefit of the
Chechens though. I think that if they gave the Chechens their own

piece of land their nation would fall into despair. They would sink
into poverty and would go about the streets shooting and murdering
each other. If they got their way they would stop killing the
innocent Russian Citizens thinking it will help them get their way.
After destroying their nation they would soon realize that they are
unable to live independently and would end up falling back into
Russias hands.