The policy of the separatist regime of Chechnya in relation to the war in Dagestan in August-September 1999

This article attempts to analyze the policy of the Chechen separatist regime in relation to military actions between the Federal Center and radical Islamist groups in Dagestan and the high-profile terrorist attacks in Russian cities in August-September 1999. It was based on the data of typical articles of the central periodical print, as well as the memories of key participants of those events on both sides and research literature. As the militants invaded Dagestan from the territory of Chechnya, the Russian side first hinted, and then demanded from the official Grozny immediate take decisive measures to curb this activity. However, the president of the self-proclaimed republic A.A. Maskhadov behaved contradictorily. On the one hand, his government denied or downplayed the Chechens' involvement in the war, and blamed Russia itself for the tragedy and publicly suggested that the Kremlin wanted to take advantage of Dagestan's and a surge of terrorism to disrupt parliamentary elections. On the other hand, Grozny sought to deflect any accusations of political extremism or involvement in terror, and therefore demonstrated a willingness to compromise with the central authorities. However, due to the separatist sentiments of the leaders of Chechnya, the bombing of its territory and the rigid mood of the Russian military and most of society, dialogue between Moscow and Grozny was impossible, and the parties were involved in a new war.