1.

Where in the Russian Federation would you find Chechnya? You could find
them in the mountainous North Caucasus region.

2. How are the Chechens different from the Russians? They dont follow the
orthodox religion, they believe in the Muslim faith.

3. Did the Chechens gain independence from tsarist Russia after the 1917
Russian Revolution? Explain. They did not, theyve never been completely
independent. Theyve had brief periods of independency, but theyre
trying to become independent now.

4.

What did Stalin do to the Chechens during WWII? Why did he do this? He

purged them after finding out that the Chechens took Hitlers side in WWII
because they thought they would give them more freedom. But,
Germany lost and Stalin holds grudges so he punished the Chechens
for their decisions.

5. Who changed their fate, and how was their fate changed? After the purge,
Chechen formed an independent movement called the Chechen AllNational Congress. This put their fate in the hands of war against Russia,
which so far many have been killed in.

6. What was the first Chechen War? [Who started it? When? Why? Results?]In
1994, the first war started when Russian forces came in to restore
constitutional order. This resulted in a war because the Chechens wanted
their independence. After two years of fighting, tens to nearly a hundred
thousand people were killed.

7. When was the second Chechen War? [Who started it? When? Why? Results?]
In 1998, the second war started. Religious extremist groups and political
violence started again as Chechens wanted their independence. A state of
emergency was called in Grozny and even more died in this war. In 2009
Russia brought back their troops after a counter-terrorism plan was
launched. Nothing has happened since then.

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 October 2002 seizure of

Moscow's Dubrovka Theater where around seven hundred people were
attending a performance. A rescue operation was launched but the gas
killed 120 hostages and the terrorists. Basayev took responsibility for
organizing the attack, and three Chechen-affiliated groups are thought to
have been involved. This showed how dangerous the Chechen war to
Russia.

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? There are assumptions that they are tied with Al-Qaeda who
the US was attacked by on 9/11. After finding this out, America had no
other choice but to not support the Chechen.

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 firmly believe that Russians should grant the Chechens their
freedom. I think this because Russia has a lot of power over other
countries. They also have a lot problems and some are caused by
Chechens. But, if they were to grant them their independence, the
Chechens would stop attacks on Russia. This would save many lives and
war effort between the two groups. Terrorism is a major problem and if
Russia could get rid of the Chechen, they would be one of the lucky
countries to not have to deal with it. I also think that Russia being power
hungry like this, causes problems because eventually the countries
theyre controlling get fed up and try to start a revolution.