Where is Chechnya?

Chechnya is located near the Caspian Sea in Russia.

Where Is Chechnya?

Commonly referred to as the Chechen Republic, Chechnya is one of the 85 federal subjects of Russia. It is located south of Eastern Europe, within 100 km within the Caspian Sea. It borders North Ossetia, Georgia, Dagestan, and Stavropol Krai which are all part of the Russian federal territory. Chechnya was formed in 1993 after a series of wars which led to the Russians taking control of its capital, Grozny and most part of the state. They had no choice but to pledge allegiance to Russia as a subject. The Chechens were allowed to form their own parliament and constitutional court. A Majority of those who live in Chechnya speak Chechen and Russian and the latest estimate of its population is 1,395,678 inhabitants.

The Chechen Wars

Chechnya has had a series of wars in an effort to fight for its own independence. However, their objective has not been met to date. There have been three wars since its origin: The Caucasian Wars and Chechen Wars I and II. The Chechen War was fought between 1994 and 1996. During the war, the Russian forces tried to gain control over Chechnya in vain. In spite of their superior weaponry including tankers, thousands of men, and air support, the Chechen armies defeated the Russians. At the end of this war, in January 1997, parliamentary and presidential elections were held in Chechnya.

President Aslan Mashkhadov won the elections; becoming the first president of Chechnya independent state. A state of emergency was declared in Chechnya by Grozny authorities in 1998. This was followed by the second Chechen War, War of Dagestan, on August 7, 1999. The war was dominated by retaliatory air strikes which killed many civilians. The Russian forces recaptured Grozny and hence the Ichkerian regime fell apart. Since then Chechnya became a Russian federal subject.

Current State Of Affairs In Chechnya

Presently, Chechnya is a stable federal republic. However, the economy has not been promising. In fact, in 2006, the unemployment rate in Chechnya was a whopping 67%. But the rate reduced to 21.5% in 2014. Currently, the country engages in the production of oil as an economic activity. Grozny, which was destroyed during the Chechen Wars, has been renovated. Chechnya also continues to enjoy representation to the Russian Federation Council. They send two representatives to every meeting convened by the council. The current head of Chechnya, who was Russian-appointed, is called Ramzan Kadyrov. His regime has been on the limelight both nationally and internationally for suppressing media as well as human right violations such as torture and kidnappings. The state still experiences minimal separatist movements in form of guerrilla attacks which are organized by the separatist groups. There are also jihadist groups in Chechnya, some of whom are linked to the Islamic terrorist organization. Chechnya still seeks to gain its own independence and therefore continually engages in wars to liberate itself.

By Sharon Omondi

•culled from www.worldatlas.com