Socio-Political Processes in the Chechen Republic in the Context of the Counter-Terrorist Operation (1999—2009)

Abstract

The events in the Chechen Republic of the late 20th — early 21th century, especially the counter-terrorism operation (the second “Chechen war”), have become the object of close attention of politicians of various levels and political views, as well as historians, political scientists, sociologists of Russia and the world. The existing assessments of the counterterrorist operation in Chechnya are extremely polarized and numerous also because it almost immediately outgrew a local-regional character, becoming a higher-order phenomenon that has a serious impact on the domestic and foreign policy of the Russian Federation. The problems of preserving territorial integrity and the right of nations to self-determination, the need for a tough fight against terrorism and respect for human rights, conducting military operations using the army on their territory and preserving the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens are intertwined in one tangle. The Russian, European and American expert communities have paid and continue to pay considerable attention to various aspects of the problems related to the conduct of the counter-terrorism operation in the Chechen Republic, its consequences, results, and the current situation in the region, giving assessments according to their political views and preferences. However, in general, the huge volume of accumulated sources and various research papers on this problem can be stumped — at least the most preliminary work is required to assess the historiography of the “Chechen wars” and specific problems related to the nature of the source base. The peculiarities of the internal policy of the Russian Federation, its involvement in armed conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, the unstable situation in the Caucasus as a whole, undoubtedly have an impact on the intensification of terrorist manifestations in Russia. Moreover, the roots of a number of emerging problems go back to the period of the counter-terrorist operation in the Chechen Republic. Terrorism has evolved in recent years, destabilizing the internal State security for a long time. And although at present the situation in this direction is steadily normalizing, new threats nevertheless appear, and they require scientific understanding and the organization of counteraction on a scientific basis.