but refused to allow the republic to secede. While some Chechens were willing to support a negotiated settlement to end the war, the rebels continued to fight, claiming that they would settle for nothing less than complete independence from Russia. In August a major Chechen offensive to retake Groznyy was successful. Later that month, Yeltsin’s national security adviser, Aleksandr Lebed, brokered a peace agreement with Chechen leaders in which both sides agreed to postpone a decision on Chechnya’s status until 2001. By December all Russian troops had withdrawn from the republic. In Chechnya’s presidential elections the following month, Yandarbiyev was defeated by the chief of staff of the Chechen forces, Aslan Maskhadov. In May 1997 Maskhadov and Yeltsin signed a peace treaty that formalized the terms of the earlier truce. Both sides pledged to forever reject the use of force or threat of force. Separate preliminary Chechnya – the conflict seven agreements were signed regarding economic aid from Russia to help rebuild Chechnya’s ravaged infrastructure, industry, and housing. Unfortunately, the agreement turned to be of short validity. Ongoing efforts of Muslim separatists caused the Russian government in September 1999 to invade Chechnya for a second time. The invasion is marked by heavy bombardments and artillery attacks of the cities. So far, the conflict has caused the destruction of Grozny, which is still held by the Muslim fighters, and other Chechen centers. Like the earlier conflict, numerous violations of human rights, mainly by the invading troops are a sad reality. The President's Commission for Human Rights is unanimously of the opinion that events in the zone of armed conflict in the Chechen Republic constitute the most important and most tragic breach of human rights compliance in the Russian Federation in 1994 and 1995. In the magnitude and severity of the human rights violations, in the suff...
