The Chechen Resistance Splinters

Abstract

The Chechen resistance entered the second war with low morale. We were divided and we harbored no illusions about the extent of the violence that would be unleashed against us. Maskhadov faced far greater challenges than Dudayev, who had just one problem: the Russians. In the first war, the Chechens had united around Dudayev in the face of the Russian invasion. At the start of the second war, Maskhadov faced a more complicated set of challenges. He had to cope with the opposition within his own ranks, the Russians, and the need to appeal to the international community. For me as the Foreign Minister, these divisions created constant problems because the opposition had powerful propaganda that I had to refute at every turn.