Euromaidan Press
Sept 30, 2024
OTD in 1999: The Second Chechen War begins, paving Putin’s path to power and foreshadowing Ukraine
Russia’s assault on Chechnya became Vladimir Putin’s ticket to the presidency. The brutal campaign killed between 50,000 and 100,000 Chechens, including thousands of children.
Russian forces committed heinous war crimes: indiscriminate bombing, torture in filtration camps, mass killings. These tactics, first tested in Chechnya, are now horrifyingly familiar in Ukraine.
The West’s inaction emboldened Putin. From Grozny to Mariupol, Russia’s playbook remains unchanged: crush resistance through terror and civilian casualties.
Today, Putin’s puppet Kadyrov rules Chechnya with an iron fist. In Ukraine, Russia seeks to install similar proxies.
As Chechen leader Dudayev warned: ignoring Russia’s “domestic matters” leads to Europe becoming Moscow’s “domestic matter.” His prophecy rings true as Russia wages war in Ukraine and threatens Europe.
The world’s silence on Chechnya led to today’s crisis in Ukraine. Only by confronting Russian aggression can we achieve true global security.
Read more about how Russia’s war against Ukraine is rooted in impunity for Chechen genocide in the article by Alla Dudayeva, the widow of Chechnya’s first president Dzhokhar Dudayev:
Having leaders who should never have been given the post as leaders has been a cause for much grief in Europe and beyond. But, as we see in various elections in various European countries, it’s not only their politicians who are sleeping at the wheel, but also the people, who are electing parties that mean nothing good. In effect, they are replacing one evil with a worse evil. The West in general has forgotten very harsh lessons of history, and it not only tolerated its own idiocies, but also the rise of yet another evil, fascist state. Complacency, weakness, cowardice, and greed have got us to where we now are. The continuation of this behavior will put us in worse and worse situations … while the people’s only reaction will be to vote for more and more licentiousness. A vicious circle, if you will.
Ditto the above for the United States, Canada, Australia…