Russia's Chechen War by Tracey C. German

Author:Tracey C. German [German, Tracey C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Ethnic Studies, Social Science, Political Science, Regional Studies, General
ISBN: 9781134432493
Google: hPCBAgAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2003-12-08T13:37:14+00:00

New year, new Groznyy?

On New Year’s Eve Russian forces launched a massive armoured offensive to seize Groznyy, attacking from the north, east and w est of the city. Four assault groups were created: the Northern Battle Group commanded by Major-General Konstantin Pulikovskiy, the North-eastern Battle Group commanded by Lieutenant-General Lev Rokhlin, the Western Battle Group commanded by Major-General V. Petruk and the Eastern Battle Group led by Major-General N. Staskov. The plan was to stage a decisive strike against Dudayev’s headquarters at the Presidential Palace, a symbol of Chechen resistance, and take control of other strategic sites, including key government buildings and the railway station. The four groups would move on the city centre in a pincer movement supported by air attacks. The speed of the attack would take the Chechen leadership by surprise, leaving it surrounded and isolated, and limit collateral damage. However the decision to launch the ground assault had allegedly been taken during Grachev’s birthday celebrations and, from the outset, it was doomed to fail.19 The short-sighted planning behind the assault was emphasised by the fact that none of the units had received specialist training in urban warfare.20

According to Andrei Raevsky, the attacking forces comprised of 23,800 men (from both the army and MVD) and over 300 armoured vehicles, including 80 tanks.21 A lack of manpower meant that the federal forces had failed to seal off the city, leaving it open to the south. This facilitated a constant stream of reinforcements and supplies to separatist fighters entrenched in the besieged city. As Russian troops slowly edged into the city from the north, heading for the Presidential Palace, the Eastern and Western Battle groups met such fierce resistance that their commanders decided to dig in. Only the Northern group, under the command of Rokhlin, managed to reach the Presidential Palace.

In contrast to the Russian troops, the Chechen fighters were lightly armed with machine guns, grenades and grenade launchers and organised into small, highly mobile units. They were fighting on home ground and thus had a superior knowledge of the city layout. The federal forces were not even provided with suitable maps prior to the assault.22 The Chechens used tactics that were simple, but effective. They waited until the federal forces had reached the centre of Groznyy before separating the tanks from their infantry support and attacking them with grenade launchers and flame throwers.23

The fate of the 131st Motor-Rifle Brigade (the Maikop Brigade) was symbolic of the destruction suffered by the entire Russian military and highlighted the catastrophic failure of the New Year’s Eve assault. The 1,000-strong Brigade entered Groznyy from the north-east with orders to seize the area around the railway station. It met little resistance and achieved its objective easily by mid-afternoon on December 31st, unaware that it had walked straight into an ambush. Separatist fighters surrounded the station and launched a ferocious attack, decimating the brigade: ‘Hundreds of Chechen fighters appeared. They had occupied every floor of the surrounding buildings, the cellars, roofs and every window.

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