Since Putin came to power, the Chechen problem has been plaguing the Russian authorities and has even become a pain in Putin's heart. Over the years, there have been countless terrorist incidents in Russia, the vast majority of which have been perpetrated by chechen terrorists.
Although the Chechen terrorists have caused many tragic cases and caused strong shocks at home and abroad, in the face of such challenges, Putin has not yielded and has repeatedly attacked the terrorists.
On October 23, 2002, 50 terrorists armed with explosives suddenly appeared in the Grand Theater, hijacking 700 spectators and a hundred staff members. Obviously, this time, chechen terrorists are still coming for Putin, demanding that putin must withdraw from Chechnya within a week, otherwise the 800 hostages will disappear from the earth.
The 800 hostages were at stake, and just when everyone thought Putin would compromise, Putin once again showed a tough attitude and publicly declared: Never give in!
So, how did Putin finally solve this problem?
Why are Chechen terrorists causing terrorist incidents in Russia one after another?
Chechen disease
When it comes to Chechens, everyone's first impression is that they are very fierce. In fact, the personality of Chechens is more extreme, with a strong sense of revenge, if their relatives and friends are killed, they will not give up no matter what, and they must find the murderer to avenge. As a result, we have seen many women with explosives strapped to their bodies as suicide bombers in many terrorist incidents in Russia. And this is also because they have lost their loved ones, so in order to get revenge, they are also willing to give their lives.
Chechen "Black Widow"
So why do these people have such an extreme psychology? Why did they make such a move?
And the reason for all this, which has a long history, is mixed with historical factors.
Located on the northern side of the Caucasus Mountains and bordering Georgia to the south, Chechnya has an area of about 17,000 people and a population of about 1.2 million, making it one of the 21 autonomous republics under the Russian Federation.
As early as the Russian conquest of Chechnya, it sowed the seeds of discord that followed. The beginning of the 18th century was a period of frenzied expansion for Tsarist Russia, and Chechnya at that time undoubtedly became an important region for Tsarist Russia's expansion.
Because both in terms of resources and geographical location, it is a very advantageous place. Chechnya is not only rich in oil resources, but also a fortress to the Caspian and Black Seas, and a strategic point to control the Caucasus region, so the surrounding countries are also eyeing Chechnya.
Tsarist Army
After years of war, Tsarist Russia finally came out on top and still took Chechnya. Nevertheless, Russia did not conquer the Chechens, but over time, the anti-Russian sentiment of the Chechens grew.
Thus, in the successive anti-Russian movements of the Chechens, the Tsarist army used violence to solve the matter. In this way, the original anti-Russian sentiment of the Chechen people not only did not subside, but became more and more serious, and it lasted for more than two hundred years.
After the victory of the October Revolution, the Chechens established the Islamic State, and it was not until November 1922 that the Chechen Autonomous Region was established, and in 1924 the Ingushetia Autonomous Region was established, which was subordinate to the Russian Federation, and in 1936 it was changed to join the autonomous republic of the Russian Federation.
For many years, the Chechens have not succumbed, and have always wanted to oppose Russia, even at the expense of deviance.
During World War II, german fascists occupied parts of Chechnya, and some Chechens showed great welcome to these people, even regarded them as national liberators, and set up the Caucasus Brothers Special Party in an attempt to cooperate with Germany and drive Russia out.
Chechen war
When Stalin, the ruler at the time, learned of this, he was furious and sent 420,000 Chechens to Central Asia and Siberia on the grounds of treason, and they did not return to Chechnya until 1957. And this incident also sowed the seeds of hatred for the Chechen people.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, Chechnya finally had a chance for independence, so Chechen President Dudayev declared independence from Russia on his own initiative. Dudayev's boldness directly angered Yeltsin, so the first Chechen war broke out in December 1994, and Chechen President Dudayev was killed in this war.
No one likes war, and so do the Chechens. Thus, in 1996, Chechnya held peace talks with the Russian government and signed the Hasaviyurt Agreement, which meant giving Chechnya a high degree of autonomy, but the only requirement was to wait five years before negotiating Chechnya's status.
Although Chechnya agreed to this at the time, it failed to curb the development of the Chechen schizophrenia, and they always had a mentality of unwillingness to give in. So it wasn't until 2001 that Maskhadov, who was president of Chechnya, revealed his true colors as soon as he took office. It wants to bring the Russian government to its knees by committing terrorist incidents and insist on Chechnya's independent status.
Putin
From the end of August to the beginning of September 1998, in just a few days, the Chechens created five sensational bombings in Moscow, and the world really began to pay attention to this nation, and the Russian government began to have to face up to the Chechen problem.
In August 1999, after Putin took office, he immediately became aware of the Chechen problem, and he was known for his "iron fist" image, which still maintained a consistent style and adopted a tough policy, so he launched the second Chechen war against chechen separatist forces.
However, the two Chechen wars have not completely resolved the Chechen problem, and the Chechen separatist forces still exist, intensifying their efforts to create terrorist incidents in Russia.
Terrorists take eight hundred hostages, Putin: never give in
When it comes to Chechen terrorists, Putin hates them to the bone, once saying: "I will drown them in the toilet!" And Chechen terrorists have been challenging Putin's endurance limits.
On October 23, 2002, the Moscow Bearing Factory was staging an American musical "Southeast Wind". The audience was immersed in the show and was enjoying the wonderful performance on stage, but just as the second act of the play was about to end, more than 50 masked terrorists dressed in Islamic black robes extended their black hands to everyone in the venue in the dark.
These terrorists, known as the "widow army", put a big man to the center of the stage and began their terrorist activities.
Here, we need to explain the "Widow Army", also known as the "Black Widow", these people are the widows and sisters who were killed by the Russian army in the Chechen war, and their unique feature is that terrorists wearing black robes and black turbans, often tied with explosives, are ready to give their lives for revenge.
And this group, the ages vary, the oldest is in their fifties, the youngest is only in their teens, and they seem to have a crazy attachment to revenge.
When the "Widow Army" took control of the whole field, with more than 700 spectators and more than 100 staff members hostage to him, the arrogance was made: Russian troops must withdraw from Chechnya within a week, and release all the soldiers captured in the Chechen war, and if Putin does not do so, they will directly detonate the Palace of Culture building.
The Moscow hostage incident
Chechens have always been extreme, and even have a fanatical obsession with revenge, and do not even care about life and death. And detonating the building and putting these eight hundred people to death can indeed be done. Therefore, when everyone in the theater was violently intimidated by the kidnappers, they trembled, and there was an atmosphere of terror around them, which made everyone present dare not breathe.
Just then, the kidnappers also warned them that if the police took tough measures, their men would kill ten people if they sacrificed one.
At this time, the Moscow police, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and special forces immediately arrived at the scene to carry out rescue activities, and temporarily set up an emergency command center near the theater.
On the kidnappers' side, the terrorists released more than 20 hostages in two hours and continued to threaten that if they acted again, they would detonate the cultural center building. For these outlaws, almost all believe they will do it. At this time, a kidnapped person also sneaked out of the building to report to the police, and the terrorists had begun to lay bombs.
At this time, almost everyone thought that this time Putin would bow his head and give in, and this has become the biggest challenge that Putin has faced since taking office. While everyone was waiting for Putin to make a decision, Putin publicly declared a few days later: Russia will never reach any agreement with terrorists, nor will it give in!
Although Putin maintained his usual tough attitude in this incident, this decision surprised everyone. After all, eight hundred lives are at stake, so when Putin took a stand, many people thought that Putin's attitude towards the matter was extremely indifferent.
But in fact, just before Putin spoke, all efforts were made. Putin has made two preparations, seeking the support of international public opinion while also preparing to negotiate with terrorists.
From the night of the 23rd to the morning of the 24th, Putin stayed up all night and sat in the Kremlin to personally direct the incident. When he heard the basic information about the terrorist incident, he called The President of the United States George W. Bush early the next morning to seek international public support.
In this regard, Bush also clearly expressed his support and also offered to ask US agents to help. At the same time, Putin also spoke with the British prime minister and the German chancellor and other leaders of other countries, and received their support.
Even as Putin prepares to free the hostages, the terrorists continue to threaten to begin preparing to attack if their demands are not carried out immediately at ten o'clock that night. In response, the Russian government negotiated with the kidnappers, and the negotiators said that as long as they released the hostages, they could be exempted from capital crimes.
At this time, Putin also appeared on television for the second time, expressing his willingness to negotiate with the kidnappers. Late at night, a Russian female journalist who had covered the war in Chechnya negotiated with the kidnappers, who were unmoved and demanded evidence of Putin's intention to withdraw.
In this way, the Russian government has been negotiating with the kidnappers with all its might, but they have always insisted on their own demands. At 10:30 p.m. on the 26th, after the failure of the last negotiation, the kidnappers began to carry out terrorist acts and shoot hostages.
In order to avoid killing more hostages, rescue immediately began, the Russian army immediately entered the scene, special forces and terrorists engaged in a fierce battle, and in the chaos, some of the hostages also escaped from the theater.
So, can a terrorist be subdued with weapons alone? In fact, at the press conference afterwards, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Vasiliev admitted that they used some special means at that time.
Rescue the hostages by special means
On the 23rd day of the hijacking incident, many workers could be seen digging sewage pipes and heating pipes near the theater, and before the 26th, many special soldiers had infiltrated the theater and were ready to rescue the hostages. Before most of the special forces rushed into the theater, some kind of hypnotic gas was released beforehand. During the one-hour battle, the special forces took control of the situation with great speed, subduing the kidnappers.
Finally, at 7:20 a.m. on the 26th, special forces captured the Theater of the Palace of Culture, and in this incident, three kidnappers were captured, and all 50 people were killed, but in the final count, nearly 130 hostages died due to this special gas. So, what is this gas? How does it kill people?
At a later press conference, Sheritszovsky, director of the Health Commission in Moscow, Russia, admitted that only one of the hostages killed in the incident was shot and killed, and the rest were inhaled and died.
This special temperament is an anesthetic substance, which is generally used in hospitals to anesthetize patients. This gas containing hypnotic ingredients will not cause death if the dose is mastered, but in this rescue incident, because the hostages have not eaten on these days, the body is very weak and difficult to withstand the normal dose of the gas released, which also caused the death of many people.
After the operation, everyone was also sent to major hospitals for treatment. Putin was also devastated by the deaths of more than a hundred hostages, apologizing on television: "We can't save everyone, please forgive us!" ”
In response to social condemnation, the commander also admitted that if they did not act in time, the casualties would be greater.
However, in this regard, the Russian people have also supported Putin's behavior. Putin's handling of the incident after the end of the incident has also been recognized by the public.
The 16 victims killed in the hostage incident were buried by the Russian local government. On the 28th, a national mourning service was held to commemorate the victims killed in the hostage incident. Many people also came to the scene of the incident to pay tribute to the victims in silence.
For the families of the victims, the government also gives them subsidies, each hostage family can get about 100,000 rubles of subsidies, those survivors will receive 50,000 rubles of condolences, in addition, the Russian government will also provide them with material help.
Putin: Carry out counter-terrorism to the end
The final end of the Moscow abduction also brought a great shadow to the people of Moscow, but at this time, there is always a question in the minds of all the people, how did these terrorists organize, and how did they enter Moscow?
According to the investigation, the main mastermind of the terrorist incident was Mavzar Barayev, known as the "Islamic Special Warfare Group". His uncle was also a well-known bandit who had killed more than 170 people, and after Marzav succeeded his uncle's position, he threatened to surpass his uncle's "record". Therefore, the plan was implemented.
Chechen terrorists
Mafzar had been preparing for a long time, and for this purpose he had organized a special death squad of women, and when recruiting, he qualified only the widows of those who had died in the war. So, Mafzar quickly brought the men together and trained them in a series of skills.
In his opinion, the Russian army was not defensive about women, so he was ready to deliver a surprise fatal blow to the Russian army.
So how did these people get into Moscow? As early as early 2002, the more than 50 terrorists began to enter Moscow, and Mavzar first selected some people without criminal records and customized fake passports for them, which also successfully deceived the Russian army.
They entered Russia by coach and did not carry any criminal weapons, which led them to Moscow. The commander-in-chief, Mavzar, disguised as a Turkish businessman, secretly infiltrated Russia from Turkey and then took a train from the city of Vodi in the North Caucasus to Moscow. So where are they hiding?
When they arrived in Moscow, they hid in an apartment, leaving only special people to buy daily necessities and food, and the rest were not allowed to leave the apartment for half a step.
Immediately after the Moscow hostage incident, Putin ordered a new round of annihilation of the troops stationed in Chechnya. And the action Putin also sent a signal to the public that the treatment of terrorists will carry out counter-terrorism to the end, and will never be soft or compromised.
In 2003, Putin supported the pro-Russian Kadyrov as president of Chechnya, and in 2004 proposed to increase counter-terrorism measures, formulate measures to consolidate national unity, establish coordination to control various forces in the Caucasus, and establish a counter-terrorism system. In addition, the death penalty for terrorists has been reinstated.
In the political, military, diplomatic and economic fields, Putin carried out a multi-pronged campaign against Chechen separatists. He is fulfilling his promise with actions, proving that he can lead Russia out of the Chechen crisis and solve the Chechen problem, and that he will carry out counter-terrorism to the end for the benefit of the people.