Insurgency in the North Caucasus

Insurgency in the North Caucasus
Part of the Chechen–Russian conflict, post-Soviet conflicts and the War against the Islamic State (from 2014)


Top: FSB of Russia during a special operation in Makhachkala, Dagestan, during which a militant was killed and two terrorist attacks were prevented.


Bottom: Russian President Dmitri Medvedev meets with FSB head Alexander Bortnikov in March 2009 to discuss the ending of the counter-terrorism operation in Chechnya.
Date16 April 2009 – 19 December 2017[8]
(8 years, 8 months and 3 days)
Location
Russia Russia
Result
  • Russian victory
Belligerents

 Russia

List

Caucasus Emirate
(2009–17)

List

Islamic State

Commanders and leaders
Vladimir Putin
(2012–17)
Dmitry Medvedev
(2009–12)
Russia Sergey Shoygu
(2012–17)
Russia Anatoliy Serdyukov
(2009–12)
Russia Valery Gerasimov
(2012–17)
Russia Nikolai Makarov
(2009–12)
Russia Oleg Salyukov
(2014–17)
Russia Vladimir Chirkin
(2012–14)
Russia Aleksandr Postnikov
(2010–12)
Russia Vladimir Boldyrev
(2009–10)
Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov
(2009–17)
Dagestan Vladimir Vasilyev
(2017)
Dagestan Ramazan Abdulatipov
(2013–17)
Dagestan Magomedsalam Magomedov
(2010–13)
Dagestan Mukhu Aliyev
(2009–10)
Ingushetia Yunus-bek Yevkurov
(2009–17)
Kabardino-Balkaria Yury Kokov
(2013–17)
Kabardino-Balkaria Arsen Kanokov
(2009–13)
Karachay-Cherkessia Rashid Temrezov
(2011–17)
Karachay-Cherkessia Boris Ebzeyev
(2009–11)
North Ossetia–Alania Vyacheslav Bitarov
(2016–17)
North Ossetia–Alania Tamerlan Aguzarov
(2015–16)
North Ossetia–Alania Taymuraz Mamsurov
(2009–15)

Dokka Umarov †
Aslambek Vadalov
Aliaskhab Kebekov †
Magomed Suleimanov †
Zalim Shebzukhov †
Chechnya:
Khuseyn Gakayev †
Tarkhan Gaziyev (POW)
Muhannad †
Supyan Abdullayev †
Abdulla Kurd †
Dagestan:
Umalat Magomedov †
Magomed Vagabov †
Israpil Velijanov †
Ibragimkhalil Daudov †
Said Kharakansky †
Ingushetia:
Ali Taziev (POW)
Said Buryatsky †
Dzhamaleyl Mutaliyev †
Arthur Getagazhev †
Kabardino-Balkaria:
Anzor Astemirov †
Asker Dzhappuyev †
Alim Zankishiev †

Rustam Asildarov †
(Emir of IS in the North Caucasus)
Aslan Byutukayev †
(Commander of Riyad-us Saliheen Brigade of Martyrs)
Strength
Russia Undisclosed
Chechnya 10 groups
Dagestan 16 groups
Ingushetia 3 groups
Kabardino-Balkaria 5 groups
North Ossetia–Alania none		 ~600 fighters
(government claim, January 2013)
~40 operating groups in the North Caucasus:[citation needed]
Casualties and losses
1,139–1,170 killed[10]
2,313–2,677 wounded[11]		 2,329 killed
2,744 captured[12]
632 civilians killed (2010–2017)[13]

The insurgency in the North Caucasus (Russian: Борьба с терроризмом на Северном Кавказе) was a low-level armed conflict between Russia and militants associated with the Caucasus Emirate and, from June 2015, the Islamic State, in the North Caucasus.[7][14][15][16] It followed the (Russian-proclaimed) official end of the decade-long Second Chechen War on 16 April 2009.[17] It attracted volunteers from the MENA region, Western Europe, and Central Asia.[18] The Russian legislation considers the Second Chechen War and the insurgency described in this article as the same "counter-terrorist operations on the territory of the North Caucasus region".[19]

The insurgency became relatively dormant in its later years.[15][16] During its peak, the violence was mostly concentrated in the North Caucasus republics of Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria. Occasional incidents happened in surrounding regions, such as North Ossetia–Alania, Karachay-Cherkessia, Stavropol Krai, and Volgograd Oblast.

While the insurgency was officially declared over on 19 December 2017 when FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov announced the final elimination of the insurgent underground in the North Caucasus,[20] counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus have not ended.[19]

  1. ^ "TURKISH VOLUNTEERS IN CHECHNYA". The Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  2. ^ The Chechens: A Handbook, p. 237, at Google Books
  3. ^ Politics of Conflict: A Survey, p. 68, at Google Books
  4. ^ Energy and Security in the Caucasus, p. 66, at Google Books
  5. ^ ""The Battalion of Imam Shamil" claimed attack in St.Petersburg, says they are Al-Qaeda, urging to withdraw troops from Syria - Map of News from Russia. From Vladivostok to Kaliningrad - News from Russia - russia.liveuamap.com". Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  6. ^ "Islamic State spokesman calls on other factions to 'repent,' urges sectarian war". The Long War Journal. 23 June 2015. Archived from the original on 24 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2015. Baghdadi, the "Emir of the Faithful," has "accepted your bayat and has appointed the noble sheikh Abu Muhammad al Qadarī as Wali [or governor] over [the Caucasus]," Adnani says.
  7. ^ a b "ISIS Declares Governorate in Russia's North Caucasus Region". Institute for the Study of War. 23 June 2015. Archived from the original on 4 December 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  8. ^ Нечаев А., Зайнашев Ю. Россия выиграла еще одну важнейшую битву
  9. ^ Ласнов А.Глава ФСБ объявил о ликвидации бандподполья на Северном Кавказе
  10. ^ 235 killed (2009),[1] 225 killed (2010),[2] 190–207 killed (2011),[3][4] 211 killed (2012),[5] 127 killed (2013),[6] 41–55 killed (2014),[7][8] 18 killed (2015),[9] Archived 2 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine 32 killed (2016),[10] 22 killed (2017),[11] total of 1,101–1,132 reported killed
  11. ^ 686 wounded (2009),[12] 467 wounded (2010),[13] 462–826 wounded (2011),[14][15] 405 wounded (2012),[16] 166 wounded (2014),[17] 31 wounded (2015),[18] Archived 2 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine 65 wounded (2016),[19] 31 wounded (2017),[20] total of 2,313–2,677 reported wounded
  12. ^ 270 killed and 453 captured (2009),[21] Archived 20 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine 349 killed and 254 captured (2010),[22] 384 killed and 370 captured (2011),[23] 391 killed and 461 captured (2012),[24] 298 killed and 88 captured (2013),[25][26] 259 killed and 445 captured (2014),[27] 172 killed (2015),[28] 162 killed and 377 captured (2016),[29][30] 82 killed and 296 captured (2017),[31][32] total reported 2,329 killed and 2,744 captured
  13. ^ 356 killed (2010–2011),[33] 78 killed (2012),[34] 104 killed (2013),[35] Archived 14 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine 37 killed (2014),[36] 19 killed (2015),[37] Archived 2 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine 32 killed (2016),[38] 30 killed (2017),[39] total of 632 reported killed
  14. ^ "Six Russian soldiers killed in Chechnya". BBC News. 24 March 2017. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2017. Russian troops in Chechnya have faced a low level insurgency for years ... They still face a low-level insurgency in the mainly Muslim region in Russia's volatile North Caucasus area.
  15. ^ a b "Russia's North Caucasus Insurgency Widens as ISIS' Foothold Grows". www.worldpoliticsreview.com. 12 April 2016. Archived from the original on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017. Russia's North Caucasus insurgency has gone relatively quiet, but reduced casualty numbers belie a still-worrying situation where long-standing grievances remain.
  16. ^ a b Walker, Shaun (4 April 2017). "Why suspicion over St Petersburg metro attack is likely to fall on Islamist groups". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017. A renewed crackdown on any suspected militant activity in the run-up to the Sochi winter Olympics in 2014 and the departure of many militants to fight in Syria led to a weakening of the North Caucasus insurgency.
  17. ^ Russia 'ends Chechnya operation' Archived 8 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 16 April 2009
  18. ^ Cerwyn Moore (2015). "Foreign Bodies: Transnational Activism, the Insurgency in the North Caucasus and "Beyond"" (PDF). Terrorism and Political Violence. 27 (3): 395–415. doi:10.1080/09546553.2015.1032035. S2CID 56451099.
  19. ^ a b Федеральный закон № 5-ФЗ от 12 января 1995, "О ветеранах" (in Russian)
  20. ^ Нечаев А., Зайнашев Ю. Россия выиграла еще одну важнейшую битву // Взгляд.ру, 19.12.2017