|
|
There is no
doubt that the Chechen war played into Putin’s hands, transforming
him into a national political figure and helping to gain the
presidency. Even though the assault on Chechnya was waged brutally,
most Russians backed the war for obvious reasons. Chechnya’s
self-proclaimed independence had turned the rebellious territory
into an enclave of lawlessness, hostage taking, and even instances
of slavery, and Russia had to address the security challenge that
this posed. Indeed, the threat to the integrity of Russia from
Chechnya was quite real. |
As for the
military, it embraced the war as a chance to rehabilitate its image
following defeats in the Afghanistan war (1979-89) and the first
Chechen war (1994-96). The Russian military also saw the war as an
opportunity to send a signal to Russia’s neighbors, as well as NATO,
that Russia would deal with the Islamic rebels in a firm manner
without letting itself be ruffled by the criticism of Western
governments and human rights organizations.
Finally, it
was a signal to the Russian Federation’s other ethnically based
regions that separatism would be crushed with an iron fist. In
short, the military success in Chechnya promised big political gains
in several directions simultaneously, including reviving territorial
unity, boosting national pride, strengthening the military’s morale,
and upholding Russia’s power and international standing.
However, the
gains came at a price: thousands of civilians, Russian soldiers, and
Chechen fighters were killed in the war, and an estimated 250,000
people became refugees. Nevertheless, the war remained popular in
Russia. By the start of 2001 it looked as if Russian generals had
done their part and smashed the rebels’ main formations. At the end
of January Putin took control of the war away from the Ministry of
Defense and gave it to the special services, but he emphasized that
Russia’s military campaign would continue. Putin’s plan was to scale
back, eventually, the Russian military presence in the Northern
Caucasus republic from 80,000 troops to a permanent garrison of
about 20,000.
