Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On 11 December 1994, Russian forces entered Chechnya, beginning a military campaign to restore Moscow's control over the self-proclaimed
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. The intervention followed three years of
growing confrontation after Chechen leader Dzhokhar Dudayev declared independence in 1991, amid a longer history of Chechen resistance to Russian rule. While Boris Yeltsin's intervention faced criticism in Russia and doubts within parts of the military, Chechen separatists, local militias and volunteers mobilised to defend the republic's de facto independence. In the war's opening weeks, ITN reporters and camera crews witnessed Russian air strikes, mounting civilian casualties and fierce fighting as federal forces advanced on the Chechen capital, Grozny. This is the first in a series of videos covering the First Chechen War, as it was reported and understood at the time.
#Chechnya #ChechenWar #Russia #BorisYeltsin #Yeltsin #Grozny #RussianHistory #FirstChechenWar #RussoChechenWar #History
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On 11 December 1994, Russian forces entered Chechnya, beginning a military campaign to restore Moscow's control over the self-proclaimed
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. The intervention followed three years of
growing confrontation after Chechen leader Dzhokhar Dudayev declared independence in 1991, amid a longer history of Chechen resistance to Russian rule. While Boris Yeltsin's intervention faced criticism in Russia and doubts within parts of the military, Chechen separatists, local militias and volunteers mobilised to defend the republic's de facto independence. In the war's opening weeks, ITN reporters and camera crews witnessed Russian air strikes, mounting civilian casualties and fierce fighting as federal forces advanced on the Chechen capital, Grozny. This is the first in a series of videos covering the First Chechen War, as it was reported and understood at the time.
#Chechnya #ChechenWar #Russia #BorisYeltsin #Yeltsin #Grozny #RussianHistory #FirstChechenWar #RussoChechenWar #History
To search the ITN Archive collection on Getty Images, follow the link below:
gettyimages.co.uk/footage/itn
🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel (tap the bell icon and stay up to date with all the latest Frontline by ITN videos!) - youtube.com/@FrontlinebyITN
🎥 Follow us on Twitter - twitter.com/ITNArchive
🎥 Like us on Facebook - facebook.com/ITNArchiveITNP
🎥 Check out our TikTok - tiktok.com/@itnarchive1955
