# Russia vs. Chechnya.... what is the deal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 12, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-vs-chechnya-what-is-the-deal/174696 "2003-05-12T13:53:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MegaDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/db5fbb/32.png) [@MegaDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaDave)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-vs-chechnya-what-is-the-deal/174696/1 "2003-05-12T13:53:04Z")
I have been wondering what the story behind the Russia vs. Chechnya conflict is. I know that it has something to do with the way (or the very fact of) Russia ruling Chechnya when it was part of the U. S. S. R. but I would like to know more about it. When did the conflict start? What started it? Who are the primary contestants (is it govnmt. vs. govnmnt. or is it some group inside Chechnya). Why doesn’t this conflict get as much attention as the middle east? Also, what, if anything, does the Croatia/Armenian conflict have to do with this? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-vs-chechnya-what-is-the-deal/174696/2 "2003-05-12T14:08:39Z")
Chechnya and the rest of the caucasus were conquered by the Tsarist Russian army in the late 19th century, largely from the Ottomans, although the Ottoman rule over the region was often highly theoretical. None of the Caucusian states/peoples have ever been particularly enthusiastic about Russian rule, period, although the Xian peoples moderately less so than the Muslims, among whom are the Chechens. Post-USSR demise, almost everyone made a bid for independence. Chechens, insofar as they were not an ‘independent republic’ in Soviet nomenclature, got squashed by the Russians. The actors at present are the Russian Fed Gov’t versus guerilla groups of various stripes, in part supported by neighbors. No Chechen government worthy of the name remains, although the Russian’s sponsored a highly dubious replacement gov. I have no idea what you refer to in re Armenian versus Croat, the Croatians are catholic slavs of the Balkans (ex-Yugoslavia) and the Armenians are an Xian group of the Caucasuses. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MegaDave \* > \*\*I have been wondering what the story behind the Russia vs. Chechnya conflict is. I know that it has something to do with the way (or the very fact of) Russia ruling Chechnya when it was part of the U. S. S. R. but I would like to know more about it. > > When did the conflict start? What started it? Who are the primary contestants (is it govnmt. vs. govnmnt. or is it some group inside Chechnya). Why doesn’t this conflict get as much attention as the middle east? > > Also, what, if anything, does the Croatia/Armenian conflict have to do with this? \*\* ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-vs-chechnya-what-is-the-deal/174696/3 "2003-05-12T14:34:30Z")
Also see the BBC overview: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country\_profiles/2565049.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/2565049.stm) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-vs-chechnya-what-is-the-deal/174696/4 "2003-05-12T14:39:54Z")
You might mean the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict. Azerbaijan and Armenia are in dispute over an area called Nagorno- Karabakh, which was once part of Armenia but was given to Azerbaijan in the 1930s. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-vs-chechnya-what-is-the-deal/174696/5 "2003-05-12T15:45:55Z")
An old thread of mine on the subject: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=128809&highlight=Chechen\*](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=128809&highlight=Chechen%2A) If you want some further reading suggestions, I’d be happy to oblige. There are also a bunch of articles on recent events at Human Rights Watch’s site ([www.hrw.org](http://www.hrw.org)) and more than you could ever hope to digest at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty ([www.rferl.org](http://www.rferl.org)). ---
**Author:** ![Nocuous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e79b87/32.png) [@Nocuous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nocuous)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-vs-chechnya-what-is-the-deal/174696/6 "2003-05-12T18:34:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MegaDave \* > \*\* Also, what, if anything, does the Croatia/Armenian conflict have to do with this? \*\* As **Captain Amazing** I also assume you refer to Azerbaijan/Armenia. Just looking at the map can explain much of the reason for the conflict : [Nagorno-Karabakh](http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/commonwealth/nagorno-karabakh.gif) & [Caucasus](http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/commonwealth/caucasus_cntrl_asia_pol_00.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-vs-chechnya-what-is-the-deal/174696/7 "2003-05-12T19:23:08Z")
Gotta say, the Nagorno-Karabakh map is really cool, geographically speaking. It’s two countries, but three or four distinct plots of land. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-vs-chechnya-what-is-the-deal/174696/8 "2003-05-12T20:07:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MegaDave \* > \*\*…Also, what, if anything, does the Croatia/Armenian conflict have to do with this? \*\* We proud Croats will battle the evil goat-stealing Armenians to the bitter end, no matter the cost…once we can figure out who and where they are. ---
**Author:** ![MegaDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/db5fbb/32.png) [@MegaDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaDave)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-vs-chechnya-what-is-the-deal/174696/9 "2003-05-13T13:52:06Z")
I love it when I make an historical error on this board… people are always so helpful in pointing it out to me… 5 or 6 times 🙂