Paved With Good Intentions: Boris Yeltsin's Strategic Road to Chechnya, 1995-1996
Abstract
When Russian tanks rolled into Chechnya in December 1994, Russian President Boris Yeltsin expected a quick and decisive end to his problems with the upstart republic. Instead, he found his country enmeshed in a hellish military and political quagmire with no solution in sight. This paper will examine Russia's national security strategy as it relates to Chechnya's bid for independence. It will also analyze the strategic road leading to the use of military power to resolve the crisis. The thesis of this discussion is that Yeltsin's decision to use military force against Chechnya supported Russia's national interests in a unified Russian Federation. The military strategy ultimately succeeded despite a poor understanding of both the nature of the war and the will of the Chechen people.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA441499
Entities
People
- Daniel B. Fincher
- Daniel E. Cushing
Organizations
- National War College