Chechnya: Covering the Conflict
This week, Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone reports from Chechnya, site of a multifaceted conflict sparked by a separatist movement that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union.
By Robert Padavick, Mon Feb 27, 11:30 PM ET
This week, Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone reports from Chechnya, site of a multifaceted conflict sparked by a separatist movement that emerged after the fall of the Soviet Union.
The vicious conflict first raged in 1994, when Russian forces moved in to crush the movement. In the ensuing war an estimated 100,000 people were killed, and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Two years later Russian forces withdrew, and an uneasy peace held until 1999, when hundreds of Russian troops were killed in bombings blamed on Chechen separatists. That prompted Moscow to redeploy in Chechnya. After an intense campaign of aerial bombing and ground fighting, the capital, Grozny, fell to Russian forces.
Chechnya was back firmly in Moscow's grip and Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to keep it that way.
The fighting left Grozny in a state of utter ruin that still persists; most residents live in crumbling buildings with no running water, against the backdrop of harsh, long winters. But hope and even signs of vibrant life can be found there today, as the Hot Zone will illustrate this week in a report on Grozny's youth programs.
Experts point out that an effect of Russia's military crackdown in Chechnya since 1999 has been an evolution in terror attacks against softer targets by Chechen separatists and their allies. Widespread, traditional fighting may have ebbed, but the people of Chechnya and beyond now live in fear of attacks like the 2004 Beslan school siege.
The Hot Zone will talk to victims and family members affected of the siege, still living with the pain of that horrific act of terror.
We'll also report on the region's internally displaced persons, tens of thousands of whom still lead a marginalized existence. The humanitarian situation is worsened by the rights abuses committed by local militias and even Russian servicemen in the area.
Aid workers have not been exempt from the violence. Kidnappings, a hallmark of the Chechen conflict, have affected non-governmental organizations working in the region. The Hot Zone will talk to victims and family members to see how they deal with the danger.
Check back with Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone throughout the week as we provide a look at the human face of the conflict in Chechnya.
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