Officially, Chechnya is an autonomous district of the Russian federation. However, since 1991 anarchy has prevailed.
Chechnya is located in the northeastern Caucasus bordered to the east by Dagestan, to the west by Ingushetia and North Ossetia and to the south by independent Georgia. Its chief exports are oil and grain. There are 1.5 million inhabitants of whom 1 million are ethnic Chechens, the majority of whom are Muslim.
During the nineteenth century the Russian Tsar sought to extend his control over this region to counter Persian designs. Russian forces met with fierce resistance. Imam Shalil led Chechen forces between 1834-59. Russian control over the region has always been tenous. In 1922, Chechnya became an autonomous region of Russia under the Bolsheviks. In 1936, Ingushetia and Chechnya were amalgamated into one autonomous republic. When some Chechens collaborated with the invading Germans during World War II, Stalin reacted by deporting most Chechens to Soviet Central Asia. The territory was divided up between the Laks of Dagestan, Russians and North Ossetians. Kruschev allowed the Chechens to return in 1956 resulting in tensions with the new landowners.
Upon the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Chechnya declared its independence (Ingushetia remained in the Russian federation). Djohar Dudajev was elected President. In 1994 Russian forces invaded, but in a humiliating reversal, were repelled in the battle for the capital Grozny. Dudajev was killed in the fighting and Aslan Maskhadov was elected President. In 1996 Russian forces withdrew and a ceasefire was signed.
President Maskhadov could not control the rival factions within the nascent state. Hostage
taking was endemic and the President attempted to impose
Islamic law (Sharia). Foreign Aid organisations fled
when many of their members were kidnapped and/or murdered . Red Cross nurses and foreign telecom engineeers were among the victims.
Subsequent Chechen attempt to fan the flames of insurrection in neighbouring Dagestan failed. Several
terrorist attacks, including a series of apartment bombs that left over 500 dead (-Transitional Man) in Moscow fuelled popular Russian sentiment against the Chechens. Federation troops repulsed the Chechen incursions and did not stop at the border. Eventually the northern half of Chechnya was occupied along with the remains of Grozny. However, Chechen rebels remained in the southern mountainous region and have bombed military targets repeatedly. During the Russian invasion the rebels told their side of the story on www.kavkaz.org but the site now appears to be defunct.
1.11.02.
Since September 11, Russia has sought to protray its battle against the Chechen rebels as part of the US-led war on terror. There are indications of strong links between Al-Qaeda and the rebels. The extent of Al-Qaeda's role in the recent theater hostage taking is unknown at the time of writing.
Russia has commited many atrocities in Chechnya, and the rebels have responded in kind in the Russian heartland. Documenting the whole tragic recent history of this region deserves another write up.
tdent supplies the following link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/2565049.stm