Радикальные исламисты в публикациях центральной прессы в период дагестанской кампании 1999 года

Denis V Tumakov

doi:10.23859/2587-8344-2021-5-1-6

Abstract

The article examines the image of radical Islamists, which was created in the publications of the largest domestic periodicals during the military operations in Dagestan in August–September 1999. The author analyses front-line reports and interviews with high-ranking military leaders published in such central newspapers and magazines as Nezavisimaya gazeta, Trud, Izvestiya, Kommersant, Echo planety, Novoe vremya and some others. Among the sources, there are both serious analytical broadsheets and tabloids. The author also pays attention to the regional press, for example, the Yaroslavl periodicals Karavan-Ros and Yaroslavskie novosti. These publications delivered valuable information on the ideology of the enemy, their weapons and equipment, and the war crimes they committed, and also reflected the attitude to the militants of the Russian soldiers and policemen who opposed them. The detachments of militants who opposed the federal forces and the Dagestani law enforcement officers appeared in these reports as cruel religious fanatics, intolerant of the bearers of any other ideology, ready to impose it on other people by force. At the same time, following military and law enforcement officials, Russian journalists were forced to recognize high combat qualities of the enemy, their perseverance and steadfastness in battle. Most of the pieces mentioned the fact that the rebels possessed a large number of modern weapons, both domestic and foreign-made, and also said that they had developed professionally competent in-depth defense. The author draws a conclusion about the antipathy of Russian reporters to the rebel combat units and identifies the reasons for the change in the attitude of the media towards them in comparison with the First Chechen War of 1994–96. In those years, journalists condemned military actions of the federal forces in the Caucasus, but in 1999 they supported the operation in Dagestan and considered Islamic radicals as ordinary bandits.

Highlights

The Dagestan campaign of August–September 1999 was the first military clash between the federal center and the forces of radical Islam in the territory of Russia
The article examines the image of radical Islamists, which was created in the publications of the largest domestic periodicals during the military operations in Dagestan in August–September 1999
The detachments of militants who opposed the federal forces and the Dagestani law enforcement officers appeared in these reports as cruel religious fanatics, intolerant of the bearers of any other ideology, ready to impose it on other people by force

Summary

Introduction

The Dagestan campaign of August–September 1999 was the first military clash between the federal center and the forces of radical Islam in the territory of Russia. Research have a quiet life.” According to their own post-war memories, the fighters of the 15th Special Forces Detachment of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs “Vyatich” went from Armavir to Dagestan “with the idea of destroying this scum.” Identical statements could be found in soldiers’ letters published in the press shortly after the complete liberation of Dagestan from Islamists: “We will crush the Wahhabis,” “we chase the mujahidin like rats in a barn” or “if these bearded robbers are not given a kick in the ass, they will get to Astrakhan too.” During the assault on Eki-Tyube (Bald Mountain) and the village of Gamiyah, the soldiers of the 106th Tula Airborne Division refused to take Chechen militants prisoner.61 This attitude of the federal security forces towards Chechen militants and Dagestani radicals was quite understandable, given the enemy’s propensity for terrorist actions during the war of 1994–96, their cruelty to captured military and the militsiya officers, and an extremely negative attitude towards the Russian-speaking population of the North Caucasus republics. Khasavyurt, increased to a maximum after they saw the decapitated corpses of soldiers of the 22nd Brigade of the same department.

Conclusion

Findings

Список литературы