ABSTRACT
Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Chechens have intensified their struggle for independence from the Russian Federation. During this period two wars have been fought in Chechnya, the first lasting from 1994 to 1996, and the second from 1999 to the present. Not only have these conflicts claimed the lives of an estimated 100,000 Chechen civilians and some 8,000 Chechen fighters, but also, according to Russian Defence Ministry reports, 4,379 servicemen were killed in the first conflict,1 and the extent of losses in the second conflict, ‘from September 1999 to December 2002 currently stands at 4,572 servicemen killed and 15,549 wounded a total of 20,121 servicemen-enough to man two motor rifle divisions’,2 let alone those missing in action. Unofficial estimates suggested that losses were far higher. The prospects for a peaceful resolution of the situation seemed remote.
