Military operation in Chechnya 1994-1996 and its effects on the Russian-Turkish relations

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the events directly related to military operations in Chechnya 1994-96. Factors leading to the conflict between the Federal Center and the Chechen separatists such as Dudayev’s nationalist policy and the high level of criminality in Chechnya will be discussed together with the effects that the conflict had on Russia’s relations (official and unofficial) with Turkey – another state with strong historical ties and interests in the Caucasus. The thesis will also study the Islamic factor as a linking element between Turkey and the Caucasus, tracing the history and development of Islam in both places, noting the radical Islamic groupings’ activities, and surveying the Turkish mass-media approach towards the conflict.