|  How it started…
On 12 November 1994 , President of the Russian Federation
B.Eltsin signed a secret decree H-2137 on commencement of
Russian military aggression against the Chechen Republic
of Ichkeria.
On 13 November 1994 , President of the Russian Federation
B.Eltsin presents an ultimatum to the Chechen armed forces
to lay down arms before 1 December 1994 . In this ultimatum,
the army of the CRI has been first mentioned as an “illegal
armed formation”.
And this happened despite the fact that early in 1992, a
number of agreements have been signed between the military
representatives of the CRI and RF, under which the Armed
Forces of CRI were declared possessors of the equipment and
armaments of the Russian forces deployed on the territory
of CRI , and the troops were withdrawn form Chechnya . On
the Russian party these agreements were signed by Marshal
Shaposhnikov (Minister of Defence of the RF), Army General
Kobets and then Colonel General Grachev (later he replaced
Marshal Shaposhnikov on the poet of Defence Minister of RF),
officially recognizing the status pf the Chechen Armed Forces.
By the way, that was the first withdrawals of the Soviet
(Russian) troops from the territories of the former unite
republics and the countries of Warsaw Pact.
On 17 November 1994 , a terrorist act was committed on the
railway bridge on the Rostokino-Vladykino span of Moscow
oblast. The Russian special services blamed the Chechens,
and only in 2002 it was proved that this and other terrorist
acts (a series of blasts in the busses in Moscow) was committed
by a group of the Russian FSK (now FSB) agents headed by
Lazovsky.
As we see, “heating” of the anti-Chechen sentiments in the
Russian public before the intended aggression was carried
out in the same manner as it was in the autumn of 1999, when
the employees of FSB blasted apartment houses in the cities
of Russia , until they were caught in Ryazan .
18 November 1994 . An anonymous call in the State Department
of Internal Affairs of Moscow . A stranger told that there
was a truck ZIL-130 with the explosive near the office of
“Lanako” firm, where the same FSB agent Lazovsky worked.
And really, the truck was examined and 10 units of MON-50
mines, 2 units of RGD-5 grenades, 10 units of F-1 grenades
and 4 packages weighing 6 kg have been found I the truck.
18 November 1994 . A blast on the railway bridge across
the Auza River ( Moscow ).
20 meters of permanent way was damaged, and the body of
the FSK terrorist captain A. Shelenkov, torn into pieces,
was found on the scene, who also was an employee of the “Lanako”
Oil Company.
18 November 1994 . Despite these failures, political leadership
of the Russian Federation approved carrying out provocative
terrorist acts o the territory of RF , including in Moscow
and Moscow oblast. As it has been established later by the
Chechen intelligence “Zaza”, the coordinator if those terrorist
acts was Chief of the FSK State Department E. Savostyanov.
The aim of this terrorist activity of the Russian special
services was kindling of anti-Chechen hysteria, blaming the
Chechen side positively to dispose the Russian public as
well as the international community to the forthcoming aggression
against the CRI.
18 November 1994 . The Chechen leadership officially declares
about their non-participation in terrorists acts in Moscow
.
22 November 1994 . State Defence Council of CRI accuses
Russia of intention to unleash war against Chechnya . President
of CRI Johar Dudayev declares that the “war party” of the
Kremlin leaders took a decision to start aggression against
Chechnya . It was planned first to occupy the territories
of Naur and Shelkovsky districts of CRI. Johar Dudayev referred
to the military intelligence, according to which, heavy armored
fighting vehicles, artillery and 6 infantry battalions were
concentrated in the area of the village of Veselaya of Staropromislov
district.
23 November 1994 . 9 Russian helicopters MI-8 delivered
rocket strikes on the city of Shali , the pilots fired shells
at the market-place. Above hundred civilians were killed
and wounded.
24 November 1994 . 7 Russian military helicopters MI-8 arrived
from the military base of Mozdok, Northern Ossetia , fired
missiles on the r Sheikh Mansur Airport . 6 people were killed
and 25 others wounded. The entire aircraft fleet of CRI was
destroyed.
24 November 1994 . Having found himself a comfortable hide-out
in the village Tolstoy-Yurt, ex-chairman of the Supreme Council
of RF R.Khasbulatov sends a message to the Kremlin that everything
is ready in Chechnya for the surface attack of Grozny and
overthrow of “Dudayev's regime”.
26 November 1994 . The formations of so-called Interim Council
of Chechnya set up and equipped by the Kremlin, together
with the recruited elite units of Russian officers, ensigns,
soldiers supported by the aircraft and tanks, intruded into
the Chechen republic of Ichkeria early in the morning. The
forces of the “Interim Council” numbered 1200 mercenaries
(contractors), 50 tanks, 50 BTR armored vehicles and 8 planes
SU-27.
That day the Russian media reported, “Tanks of the opposition
broke into Grozny and drew nearer to the Presidential Palace”
Aircraft carried out bombing of the National Bank Office
of CRI in the very centre of Grozny and adjacent residential
districts. The TV reporters working in Grozny demonstrated
the flaming bank office, at the same time informing the TV
viewers “nothing is known about the whereabouts of Dudayev,
as the Presidential Palace is empty”. In the Stanitsa of
Znamenskoye 60 km away from Grozny, “Chairman of the Interim
Council” Avturkhanov was trying to persuade the journalists
that the unit under the command of Labazanov “seized the
den of Dudayev”, i.e. the Presidential Palace.
However, later in the day it became known that 14 Russian
tanks were burning in front of the Presidential Palace and
the blackened bodies of the burnt Russian mercenaries were
scattered all over the territory adjacent to the Presidential
Palace. The aggressors lost more than 500 soldiers, 20 tanks
were destroyed, the rest of the tanks as well as the BTR
armored carriers were captured by the Chechens. About 200
mercenaries were captured as prisoners of war, including
70 Russian servicemen. The formations of “Interim Council”
and Russian contractors were completely destroyed.
26 November 1994 . Russian Defence Minister P.Grachev refused
the participation of the Russian servicemen in actions on
the side of the opposition. Grachev, curling his lips said:
“It's foolish to enter the city with tanks. It could have
taken only two hours to introduce order in Grozny with the
help of a landing party only”.
26 November 1994 . To mark the victory over the formations
of national traitors and Russian invaders, a column of prisoners
of war marched in the streets of Grozny . The Chechen leadership
presented a list of the captured Russian officers and soldiers
recruited in the elite military units 43162 and 01451 based
in the area of Moscow . The prisoners told media that they
were recruited by the FSK of RF to take part in military
actions aimed at seizure of Grozny .
30 November 1994 . Following Grachev, Major-General Deinikin
began to refuse the participation in the attack on Grozny
. He said at the special press conference, “Not a single
Russian aircraft has taken part in the events of Chechnya
”. According to him, some unidentified battle-planes carried
out bombing of Grozny . One of the reporters asked him,“If
Chechnya is part of Russia , as it is declared by your government,
how could the aircraft of another state storm the cities
of Russia ?” Deinikin murmured something in response, but
could not answer the question of the journalist.
30 November 1994 . Having grown angry at the perfidious
conduct of the Russian leadership, the Russian prisoners
of war gave the most detailed evidences to the Russian and
foreign journalists. One of the Russian officers told at
the press conference of the Western journalists: “Russian
militants together with the opposition attacked Grozny .
I was in a group of three tanks, which should have seized
the Grozny TV centre. In the area of TV studio we were attacked
by the so-called Abkhaz battalion of Shamil Basayev. The
tanks and infantry of the Armed Forces of CRI surrounded
us and it was senseless of us to continue resistance, as
the opposition units gave us up and ran away. Two of our
tanks were burnt down and the tank crews surrendered to the
TV centre guards. It looked like as if the column of armored
fighting vehicles entered Grozny specially to be destroyed.
Our task was disarmament of Dudayev and his army. The column
of armored fighting vehicles failed the operation. Dudayev's
army was manned of well trained warriors, and the column
turned out to be a moving target”.
1 December 1994 . The Russian command did not let the plane
with the State Duma delegates on board land in Grozny . The
plane landed in Ingushetia and the deputies had to get to
Grozny by motor transport. They witnessed and then told the
journalists how eight SU-27 aircrafts were bombing a residential
area in Grozny where the Chechen President lived. The units
of Chechen antiaircraft artillery shot down one of those
Russian military planes that day.
1 December 1994 . President of CRI wired the Commander-in-Chief
of Russian Sir Forces Col.-Gen. Deinekin: “Congratulations
on domination in the sky of Ichkeria. We will meet on the
earth”. Scared Deinikin invited the journalists and stated
at the press conference that Johar Dudayev had sent a group
of murderers to Moscow to attempt the life of the General.
Besides that, having ignored the State Duma deputies' evidences
and the pieces of the shot down aircraft SU-27 shown on Russian
TV, he repeated that not a single plane of the Russian Air
Forces had ever flied in the sky over Grozny .
The captured officers of Russian Defence Ministers Drozdov
and Prokopov told in the presence of the State Duma deputies
and foreign journalists in details how the Special department
of Taman Division had recruited the servicemen to be sent
to Chechnya .
1 December 1994 . President of the CRI J.Dudayev declared
about his readiness to negotiate with President of RF B.Eltsin.
But the Kremlin ignored the suggestion of the Chechen President.
2 December 1994 . One of the captured Russian officers Rusakov
known to the journalists from the events concerning the storm
of the White House and shooting from tanks at the Office
building of the Supreme Council of RSFSR in Moscow in 1993,
told at the press conference how the FSK employees recruited
him through the Special department, having promised him to
pay 150 million rubles to his family in case of his death.
2 December 1994 . Chairman of the State Duma Commission
of Defence and the head of the Russian Parliamentary delegation
to CRI S.Yushenkov declared at the press conference in Grozny
: “Using of force in Russian-Chechen relations is doomed
to failure. I have become convinced that the only way out
of the existing situation is negotiation. The Chechen side
is ready to carry on talks and does not suggest any conditions
in advance”. According to Yushenkov, he saw the planes and
helicopters with painted identification marks in Mozdok and
demanded to make certain persons answerable for participation
in this adventure. Yushenkov demonstrated footage with the
evidences of a test-pilot of Stavropol aircraft overhault
plant, who told that he was recruited by the FSK agent to
take part in military actions in Chechnya and promised him
and his family (in case if his death) 10 million rubles.
4 December 1994 . “Peacekeeper” R.Khasbulatov together with
his companions appeared in Moscow , having escaped from Chechnya
be miracle. He announced that his “peace mission in Chechnya
has ended. Now Russia is sending troops to the republic and
I cannot control the situation”. As Chairman of the Supreme
Council of RF, R. Khasbulatov has done much to prevent official
recognition of Chechnya 's sovereignty by the Kremlin that
resulted in the on-going war.
5 December 1994 . In order to smooth away the public resonance
caused by the destructive failure in Chechnya , made a statement,
“The foreign mercenaries rushed to Chechnya through the frontiers
of Russia ”. In this connection, the FSK “does not exclude
the possibility of terrorist activities of Dudayev's people
in different regions of RF”. It meant that FSK was going
to start the terrorist activities “with the Chechen trace”
in Russia .
6 December 1994 . Vice President of Ingushetia called in
the office of President Dudayev and invited him to Mozdok
to carry out negotiations with the Defence Minister of RF
Grachev. The Chief of FSK Stepashin and Head of the Ministry
of Internal Affairs Erin also took part in the talks. The
negotiations with the representatives of “force structures”
ended without result, as the Russian party failed to suggest
something new but repeated the arguments of Eltsin's ultimatum.
Nevertheless, one of the mortal enemies of the Chechen people
S. Shakhrai declared, “The day of negotiations with Dudayev
will be a day national shame for Russia ”.
6 December 1994 . President of CRI Johar Dudayev declared
that aggressive policy of Russia provokes to the growth of
Islamic mood in Chechnya . Johar Dudayev warned that Chechnya
could have been used as playing cards for global Islamic
interests that can make the further development of events
uncontrollable. The third force is being formed in Chechnya
today – the Islamists who gradually are taking the initiative.
We are not your soldiers, President, we are the soldiers
of Allah, - say they”.
7 December 1994 . The Defence Minister of Russia Grachev
met with the President of CRI Dudayev in the stanitsa of
Sleptsovskaya. Grahev suggested to the Chechen leader to
lay down arms alongside with Avturkhanov, however, the criminal
formations of the Kremlin puppet had been crushed and disarmed
by the Chechen government troops and sent to prison, having
been condemned for brigandage and the attempt of coup d'etat.
General Grachev carried out some propaganda measures, similar
to a peacekeeping action, actually all this was aimed at
gaining time to make it possible to concentrate additional
forces on the border of Chechnya for intrusion.
7 December 1994 . The Security Council of RF held a session
in Moscow , dedicated to the events of Chechnya . The same
day, a closed session of the State Duma was held. Having
arrived from Chechnya with two prisoners of war, Zhirinovsky
stated that the opposition for failing the storm of Grozny
had shot 50 Russian soldiers. The chiefs of force structures
did not appear at the Duma session, as they did not want
to answer the deputies' questions: Who ordered to carry out
enlistment of servicemen? Who ordered to bomb Grozny ? According
to the data of the parliamentary commission, the Duma deputies
established that the enlistment of servicemen had been carried
out by order of Stepashin, Director of FSK of RF, and Grozny
had been bombed by order of the Defence Minister Grachev.
8 December 1994 . The Chechen side reported that according
to obtained information, the Kremlin was getting ready to
intrude in the territory of Chechnya and to unleash war.
Two terrorist acts were committed that day in Moscow . Of
course, the Chechens were blamed for carrying out those terrorist
acts.
8 December 1994 . Working Commission on resolution of the
conflict in CRI through peace negotiations achieved agreement
between the representatives of President Dudayev and the
opposition to hold talks on 12 December 1994 in Vladikavkaz.
It was decided that 12 people headed by the Deputy Minister
for Nationalities and Regional Policy of RF Mikhailov were
to take part in the negotiations. As to the Chechen side,
a delegation of 9 people headed by the Minister of Finances
and Economy Abubakarov was to present the CRI; 3 people headed
by the former KGB agent Baskhanov were presented on the part
of the opposition.
8-10 December 1994. The “unidentified helicopters” dropped
the copies of “top secret order informing the inhabitants
of the villages of CRI that the chiefs of the Defence Ministry,
the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSK of RF were ordered
to carry out forced deportation of the population of Chechnya
to the various regions of Russia . Later, Col.-Gen. Podkolzin
publicly confirmed the authenticity of the order. It was
the heroic resistance of the Chechen people put up to the
invaders that ruined the monstrous plans of the Kremlin war
criminals.
9 December 1994 . The Russian media reported on recommencement
of the negotiations with Dudayev. In this connection, Generals
Grachev, Erin and Stepashin headed for Mozdok.
As it became known later, an attempt on the life of Dudayev
was planned in Mozdok to shift the blame onto the Chechens
from the opposition.
On 9 December 1994 , late at night, President Eltsin signed
Decree 2169, according to which, “All available means should
be used to achieve disarmament of gang-formations in the
Northern Caucasus ”. The forthcoming recommenced negotiations
were not mentioned in the Decree at all. The State Duma speakers
were acquainted with the document against receipt on non-disclosure.
10 December 1994 . President of CRI Johar Dudayev gave up
all prisoners of war to the colonel-general of medical service
of the Defence Ministry of RF Chizh. Premier Minister of
the government of RF V.Chernomyrdin signs a secret order
H-1887-p, according to which the Chechens were to be deported
to the remote regions of Russia . President Eltsin was hospitalized
for 9 days “to have an operation on nasal partition”. Within
9 days Grachev had to “suppress” Chechnya , however, he guaranteed
to manage it much sooner. The headquarters of the North Caucasus
Military Okrug issued an order, according to which on 11
Decembe, 2 motorized rifle and 1 tank divisions entered Chechnya
. They were supported by 2 regiments of the Russian Internal
Ministry forces. The operation aimed at “disarmament of illegal
armed formations and restoration of the constitutional order
in Chechnya ” was to be ended by 20 December 1994 .
11 December 1994 . Russian military grouping, 60 thousand
in number, as well as 2200 units of armored equipment intruded
into the territory of Chechnya from the direction of Ingushetia,
Daghestan and Stavropol Krai. And the most bloody and long
war of the modern history has started.
Chronological review by M.Visaytov, Chechenpress 3011.04
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