First modification:
From Chechnya to Syria via Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has been involved in several wars since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. A bellicose policy of which the military attack in Ukraine, on Thursday morning, February 24 , seems to be the continuation.
Georgia, Chechnya, Syria… Since the advent of the Russian Federation in 1991, the current leader of the Kremlin has involved Russia in numerous conflicts, driven by one goal: to support powers favorable to Moscow, crushing their opponents with blood .
This expansionist thought seems to be echoed in the decision taken by Vladimir Putin in the early hours of Thursday, February 24: after months of tension, the Russian president announced a “military operation” in Ukraine to defend the self-proclaimed separatist “republics” in the east of the country. that Putin recognized as independent a day earlier.
The head of the Kremlin had concentrated tens of thousands of soldiers on the Ukrainian borders.
Two bloody wars in Chechnya
At the end of 1994, after having tolerated the de facto independence of Chechnya for three years, Moscow called in its Army to bring this Russian Caucasus republic to heel. In the face of fierce resistance, federal troops withdrew in 1996.
But in October 1999, at the urging of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, soon to be elected president, Russian forces entered Chechnya again for an “anti-terrorist operation”, following an attack by Chechen independence fighters on the Russian Caucasian republic of Dagestan and several deadly attacks in Russia, attributed to the Chechens by Moscow.
In February 2000, Russia recaptured the capital Grozny, which had been leveled by Russian artillery and aircraft. But the guerrilla war continued. In 2009, the Kremlin decreed the end of its operation, leaving tens of thousands dead on both sides after these two conflicts.
“The Russo-Georgian ‘Blitzkrieg'”
In the summer of 2008, Georgia launched a military operation against South Ossetia, a pro-Russian separatist territory that had escaped Tbilisi’s control since the fall of the USSR and a war in the early 1990s. Georgian President Mikheïl Saakachvili claimed that his attack was in response to Russian military pressure on his borders.
Russia retaliated massively by sending its troops into Georgian territory, in a space of five days, inflicting a resounding defeat on the former Soviet republic. Several hundred people were killed in the fighting.
Following this, the Kremlin recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another separatist province. Since then, it maintains a strong military presence in them. The West denounces a de facto occupation.
Conflict in Ukraine
In 2014, following the pro-European Union Maidan movement and President Viktor Yanukovych’s flight to Russia, Moscow annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, an annexation not recognized by the international community.
As a result, pro-Russian separatist movements arose in eastern Ukraine, in Donetsk and Luhansk, the Donbass regions bordering Russia. Both republics self-proclaimed their independence, which caused an intense armed conflict.
Kiev and the West accused Russia of supporting the separatists by sending men and equipment. Moscow has always denied this, acknowledging only the presence of Russian “volunteers” in Ukraine. The conflict has decreased in intensity since 2015 and the signing of the Minsk Peace Agreements.
Since the end of 2021, Moscow has been carrying out large-scale land, air and sea military maneuvers around the Ukrainian territory, positioning up to 150,000 troops on its borders. After several months of tension, Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the two secessionist republics on February 21 and ordered the deployment of his troops to them, before announcing a “military operation” three days later.
The Ukrainian foreign minister spoke of a “full-scale invasion.”
Intervention in Syria
Since 2015, Russia has been militarily deployed in Syria to support the forces of President Bashar al-Assad.
The intervention, with its deadly bombing and massive destruction, has turned the tide of the war and allowed the Damascus regime to win decisive victories, regaining ground it had lost to rebels and jihadists.
Moscow has two military bases in Syria: the Hmeimim airfield in the northwest and the port of Tartus in the south. More than 63,000 Russian soldiers have served in the Syria campaign.
with AFP
This article was adapted from its French original by Gabrielle Colchen
First modification:
From Chechnya to Syria via Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has been involved in several wars since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. A bellicose policy of which the military attack in Ukraine, on Thursday morning, February 24 , seems to be the continuation.
Georgia, Chechnya, Syria… Since the advent of the Russian Federation in 1991, the current leader of the Kremlin has involved Russia in numerous conflicts, driven by one goal: to support powers favorable to Moscow, crushing their opponents with blood .
This expansionist thought seems to be echoed in the decision taken by Vladimir Putin in the early hours of Thursday, February 24: after months of tension, the Russian president announced a “military operation” in Ukraine to defend the self-proclaimed separatist “republics” in the east of the country. that Putin recognized as independent a day earlier.
The head of the Kremlin had concentrated tens of thousands of soldiers on the Ukrainian borders.
Two bloody wars in Chechnya
At the end of 1994, after having tolerated the de facto independence of Chechnya for three years, Moscow called in its Army to bring this Russian Caucasus republic to heel. In the face of fierce resistance, federal troops withdrew in 1996.
But in October 1999, at the urging of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, soon to be elected president, Russian forces entered Chechnya again for an “anti-terrorist operation”, following an attack by Chechen independence fighters on the Russian Caucasian republic of Dagestan and several deadly attacks in Russia, attributed to the Chechens by Moscow.
In February 2000, Russia recaptured the capital Grozny, which had been leveled by Russian artillery and aircraft. But the guerrilla war continued. In 2009, the Kremlin decreed the end of its operation, leaving tens of thousands dead on both sides after these two conflicts.
“The Russo-Georgian ‘Blitzkrieg'”
In the summer of 2008, Georgia launched a military operation against South Ossetia, a pro-Russian separatist territory that had escaped Tbilisi’s control since the fall of the USSR and a war in the early 1990s. Georgian President Mikheïl Saakachvili claimed that his attack was in response to Russian military pressure on his borders.
Russia retaliated massively by sending its troops into Georgian territory, in a space of five days, inflicting a resounding defeat on the former Soviet republic. Several hundred people were killed in the fighting.
Following this, the Kremlin recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another separatist province. Since then, it maintains a strong military presence in them. The West denounces a de facto occupation.
Conflict in Ukraine
In 2014, following the pro-European Union Maidan movement and President Viktor Yanukovych’s flight to Russia, Moscow annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, an annexation not recognized by the international community.
As a result, pro-Russian separatist movements arose in eastern Ukraine, in Donetsk and Luhansk, the Donbass regions bordering Russia. Both republics self-proclaimed their independence, which caused an intense armed conflict.
Kiev and the West accused Russia of supporting the separatists by sending men and equipment. Moscow has always denied this, acknowledging only the presence of Russian “volunteers” in Ukraine. The conflict has decreased in intensity since 2015 and the signing of the Minsk Peace Agreements.
Since the end of 2021, Moscow has been carrying out large-scale land, air and sea military maneuvers around the Ukrainian territory, positioning up to 150,000 troops on its borders. After several months of tension, Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the two secessionist republics on February 21 and ordered the deployment of his troops to them, before announcing a “military operation” three days later.
The Ukrainian foreign minister spoke of a “full-scale invasion.”
Intervention in Syria
Since 2015, Russia has been militarily deployed in Syria to support the forces of President Bashar al-Assad.
The intervention, with its deadly bombing and massive destruction, has turned the tide of the war and allowed the Damascus regime to win decisive victories, regaining ground it had lost to rebels and jihadists.
Moscow has two military bases in Syria: the Hmeimim airfield in the northwest and the port of Tartus in the south. More than 63,000 Russian soldiers have served in the Syria campaign.
with AFP
This article was adapted from its French original by Gabrielle Colchen
First modification:
From Chechnya to Syria via Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has been involved in several wars since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. A bellicose policy of which the military attack in Ukraine, on Thursday morning, February 24 , seems to be the continuation.
Georgia, Chechnya, Syria… Since the advent of the Russian Federation in 1991, the current leader of the Kremlin has involved Russia in numerous conflicts, driven by one goal: to support powers favorable to Moscow, crushing their opponents with blood .
This expansionist thought seems to be echoed in the decision taken by Vladimir Putin in the early hours of Thursday, February 24: after months of tension, the Russian president announced a “military operation” in Ukraine to defend the self-proclaimed separatist “republics” in the east of the country. that Putin recognized as independent a day earlier.
The head of the Kremlin had concentrated tens of thousands of soldiers on the Ukrainian borders.
Two bloody wars in Chechnya
At the end of 1994, after having tolerated the de facto independence of Chechnya for three years, Moscow called in its Army to bring this Russian Caucasus republic to heel. In the face of fierce resistance, federal troops withdrew in 1996.
But in October 1999, at the urging of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, soon to be elected president, Russian forces entered Chechnya again for an “anti-terrorist operation”, following an attack by Chechen independence fighters on the Russian Caucasian republic of Dagestan and several deadly attacks in Russia, attributed to the Chechens by Moscow.
In February 2000, Russia recaptured the capital Grozny, which had been leveled by Russian artillery and aircraft. But the guerrilla war continued. In 2009, the Kremlin decreed the end of its operation, leaving tens of thousands dead on both sides after these two conflicts.
“The Russo-Georgian ‘Blitzkrieg'”
In the summer of 2008, Georgia launched a military operation against South Ossetia, a pro-Russian separatist territory that had escaped Tbilisi’s control since the fall of the USSR and a war in the early 1990s. Georgian President Mikheïl Saakachvili claimed that his attack was in response to Russian military pressure on his borders.
Russia retaliated massively by sending its troops into Georgian territory, in a space of five days, inflicting a resounding defeat on the former Soviet republic. Several hundred people were killed in the fighting.
Following this, the Kremlin recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another separatist province. Since then, it maintains a strong military presence in them. The West denounces a de facto occupation.
Conflict in Ukraine
In 2014, following the pro-European Union Maidan movement and President Viktor Yanukovych’s flight to Russia, Moscow annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, an annexation not recognized by the international community.
As a result, pro-Russian separatist movements arose in eastern Ukraine, in Donetsk and Luhansk, the Donbass regions bordering Russia. Both republics self-proclaimed their independence, which caused an intense armed conflict.
Kiev and the West accused Russia of supporting the separatists by sending men and equipment. Moscow has always denied this, acknowledging only the presence of Russian “volunteers” in Ukraine. The conflict has decreased in intensity since 2015 and the signing of the Minsk Peace Agreements.
Since the end of 2021, Moscow has been carrying out large-scale land, air and sea military maneuvers around the Ukrainian territory, positioning up to 150,000 troops on its borders. After several months of tension, Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the two secessionist republics on February 21 and ordered the deployment of his troops to them, before announcing a “military operation” three days later.
The Ukrainian foreign minister spoke of a “full-scale invasion.”
Intervention in Syria
Since 2015, Russia has been militarily deployed in Syria to support the forces of President Bashar al-Assad.
The intervention, with its deadly bombing and massive destruction, has turned the tide of the war and allowed the Damascus regime to win decisive victories, regaining ground it had lost to rebels and jihadists.
Moscow has two military bases in Syria: the Hmeimim airfield in the northwest and the port of Tartus in the south. More than 63,000 Russian soldiers have served in the Syria campaign.
with AFP
This article was adapted from its French original by Gabrielle Colchen
First modification:
From Chechnya to Syria via Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has been involved in several wars since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. A bellicose policy of which the military attack in Ukraine, on Thursday morning, February 24 , seems to be the continuation.
Georgia, Chechnya, Syria… Since the advent of the Russian Federation in 1991, the current leader of the Kremlin has involved Russia in numerous conflicts, driven by one goal: to support powers favorable to Moscow, crushing their opponents with blood .
This expansionist thought seems to be echoed in the decision taken by Vladimir Putin in the early hours of Thursday, February 24: after months of tension, the Russian president announced a “military operation” in Ukraine to defend the self-proclaimed separatist “republics” in the east of the country. that Putin recognized as independent a day earlier.
The head of the Kremlin had concentrated tens of thousands of soldiers on the Ukrainian borders.
Two bloody wars in Chechnya
At the end of 1994, after having tolerated the de facto independence of Chechnya for three years, Moscow called in its Army to bring this Russian Caucasus republic to heel. In the face of fierce resistance, federal troops withdrew in 1996.
But in October 1999, at the urging of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, soon to be elected president, Russian forces entered Chechnya again for an “anti-terrorist operation”, following an attack by Chechen independence fighters on the Russian Caucasian republic of Dagestan and several deadly attacks in Russia, attributed to the Chechens by Moscow.
In February 2000, Russia recaptured the capital Grozny, which had been leveled by Russian artillery and aircraft. But the guerrilla war continued. In 2009, the Kremlin decreed the end of its operation, leaving tens of thousands dead on both sides after these two conflicts.
“The Russo-Georgian ‘Blitzkrieg'”
In the summer of 2008, Georgia launched a military operation against South Ossetia, a pro-Russian separatist territory that had escaped Tbilisi’s control since the fall of the USSR and a war in the early 1990s. Georgian President Mikheïl Saakachvili claimed that his attack was in response to Russian military pressure on his borders.
Russia retaliated massively by sending its troops into Georgian territory, in a space of five days, inflicting a resounding defeat on the former Soviet republic. Several hundred people were killed in the fighting.
Following this, the Kremlin recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another separatist province. Since then, it maintains a strong military presence in them. The West denounces a de facto occupation.
Conflict in Ukraine
In 2014, following the pro-European Union Maidan movement and President Viktor Yanukovych’s flight to Russia, Moscow annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, an annexation not recognized by the international community.
As a result, pro-Russian separatist movements arose in eastern Ukraine, in Donetsk and Luhansk, the Donbass regions bordering Russia. Both republics self-proclaimed their independence, which caused an intense armed conflict.
Kiev and the West accused Russia of supporting the separatists by sending men and equipment. Moscow has always denied this, acknowledging only the presence of Russian “volunteers” in Ukraine. The conflict has decreased in intensity since 2015 and the signing of the Minsk Peace Agreements.
Since the end of 2021, Moscow has been carrying out large-scale land, air and sea military maneuvers around the Ukrainian territory, positioning up to 150,000 troops on its borders. After several months of tension, Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the two secessionist republics on February 21 and ordered the deployment of his troops to them, before announcing a “military operation” three days later.
The Ukrainian foreign minister spoke of a “full-scale invasion.”
Intervention in Syria
Since 2015, Russia has been militarily deployed in Syria to support the forces of President Bashar al-Assad.
The intervention, with its deadly bombing and massive destruction, has turned the tide of the war and allowed the Damascus regime to win decisive victories, regaining ground it had lost to rebels and jihadists.
Moscow has two military bases in Syria: the Hmeimim airfield in the northwest and the port of Tartus in the south. More than 63,000 Russian soldiers have served in the Syria campaign.
with AFP
This article was adapted from its French original by Gabrielle Colchen