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HISTORY

The Claim

The First Chechen War ended in 1996 with an agreement and a temporary withdrawal of Russian forces.

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The Short Version

The claim is broadly accurate: the First Chechen War’s active fighting ended in 1996 with the Khasavyurt agreements, followed by the withdrawal of Russian forces by year’s end. The main caveat is that the 1996 deal was a ceasefire-style accord rather than the final formal peace treaty, which came in 1997. Also, the withdrawal was complete in 1996; calling it “temporary” is retrospective shorthand.

Caveats

  • The 1996 Khasavyurt accords ended active hostilities, but the formal Russia-Chechnya peace treaty was signed in May 1997.
  • Russian forces withdrew completely by 31 December 1996; “temporary” is accurate only in hindsight because war resumed in 1999.
  • The accords left Chechnya’s final political status unresolved, which was a major reason the settlement proved unstable.

The Receipts

  1. Decree of the President of the Russian Federation ('Yeltsin's Peace Plan')

    PA-X Peace Agreements Database (University of Edinburgh)

  2. Chechnya: Khasavyurt Accords Failed To Preclude A Second War

    Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

  3. Хасавюртовские соглашения

    Большая российская энциклопедия

  4. Russian-Chechen Truce Agreement: Principles for Determining the Basis of Relations between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria

    Peace Agreements Database (PA-X)

  5. Khasav-Yurt Agreements In Modern Political History Of Russia And Chechnya

    European Proceedings

  6. The Search for Peace in Chechnya: A Sourcebook 1994-1996

    Columbia University / CIAO

  7. Chechnya (Ichkeria)

    EBSCO Research Starters

  8. Analysis: Look Back In Anger -- Ten Years Of War In Chechnya

    RFE/RL

  9. The Search for Peace in Chechnya: A Sourcebook 1994-1996 (Overview)

    Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)

  10. Первая чеченская война (1994–1996): начало, итоги и потери

    Коммерсантъ

+ 9 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

ChechnyaFirst Chechen WarRussian Armed Forces

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