First Chechen War | |||||||
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Part of Chechen–Russian conflict | |||||||
Russian Mil Mi-8 helicopter brought down by Chechen fighters near the capital Grozny in 1994 |
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Belligerents | |||||||
Russia |
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Foreign mujahideen |
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Commanders of Joint Group of Federal Forces in Chechnya: Alexei Mityukhin Anatoly Kulikov Anatoly Shkurko Vyacheslav Tikhomirov Vladimir Shamanov |
Dzhokhar Dudayev Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev Aslan Maskhadov Shamil Basayev Turpal-Ali Atgeriev Ruslan Gelayev Akhmed Zakayev Fathi al-Jordani |
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Strength | |||||||
38,000 (December 1994) 70,500 (February 1995) |
6,000 (CRI claim) 20,000–40,000 (Russian claim) 500–700 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Military: 5,732 killed or missing (Russian official figure) 14,000 killed or missing (CSMR estimate) Civilian: At least 161 killed outside Chechnya |
Military: |
Military:
3,000 killed or missing (CRI claim)
17,391 killed or missing (Russian claim)
Civilian:
30,000–40,000 (RFSSS data)
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996. After the initial campaign of 1994–1995, culminating in the devastating Battle of Grozny, Russian federal forces attempted to seize control of the mountainous area of Chechnya but were set back by Chechen guerrilla warfare and raids on the flatlands despite Russia's overwhelming manpower, weaponry, and air support. The resulting widespread demoralization of federal forces and the almost universal opposition of the Russian public to the conflict led Boris Yeltsin's government to declare a ceasefire with the Chechens in 1996 and sign a peace treaty a year later.