The Russian Federation
and the Chechnya War
Civil and Political Events
(1992-2001)

 

 A historical overview of the political and civilian
events of the Russian Federation and Chechnya War.

This section will focus on a history of events that took place since the fall of the Soviet Union and during the Chechnya War.  Here we will discuss the political changes and significant civil events that occurred between 1992 and 2001.  The Russian leaders of the period will also be profiled at a later time.

 

Political & Civil Events Historical Index

Russian Leaders (1992-2001)
1991-2000 Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin
2000-Present Vladimir Putin

 

Timeline 1992-2001

 

1992

 

 

 

 

 

2 Jan

Prime Minister ends price controls.  Ruble plummets as prices sky-rocket.  Ruble exchange rate hits new low, 90 rubles to the dollar.

  31 Mar Federation Treaty signed by all autonomous republics except Chechnya & Tatarstan
  6 May Gorbachev speaks at Westminster College
  15 May The 'Treaty on Collective Security' is signed by Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgystan
  1 Apr Western nations announce $24 billion economic aid package for Russia
  6 Apr The Congress of People's Deputies begins its attack on the government
  15 Jun Yegor Gaidar appointed acting prime minister
  1 Oct Voucher privatization begins
  14 Dec Victor Chernomyrdin replaces Yegor Gaidar as prime minister

1993

 

 

 

 
  11 Mar Congress of People's Deputies passes resolution limiting powers of government to implement reforms
  20 Mar Yeltsin introduces 'special presidential rule'
  23 Mar Speaker of Congress Khasbulatov calls for impeachment of Yeltsin
  3-4 Apr US-Russian summit in Vancouver
  25 Apr Referendum supports the president and the reforms
24 July Major reform of Russian currency system as Russian Central Bank declares that all banknotes issued before 1993 would be withdrawn from circulation.
Summer Ruble exchange rate is 1000 rubles to one dollar.
  31 Aug Russian troops withdrawn from Lithuania (not Latvia & Estonia)
  18 Sept Yegor Gaidar rejoins government as first deputy prime minister
20 Sept Parliment announces plan to strip President Yeltsin of most of his authority and to pump more rubles into the economy.
  21 Sept President dissolves Congress of People's Deputies and Supreme Soviet of Russian Federation and calls for election of Federal Assembly
  22 Sept Parliament appoints Vice President Alexander Rutskoi president.
  2-4 Oct Storming of the Russian White House.
  3 Oct Parliamentary forces attack Ostankino TV station and mayor's office.  Many journalists and TV crewmen are killed in the crossfire.
  4 Oct Government forces storm the parliament building in a 10 hour assault.  Kantemir and Taman Guards divisions arrive to support Yeltsin government.
Conspirators Alexander Rutskoi and Ruslan Khasbulatov surrender and are arrested.
13 November An earthquake that measured 7.1 on the Richter scale was detected in the sea east of Kamchatka.
  14  December Elections of first Federal Assembly of Russia and referendum is held to ratify Russian Constitution

1994

 

 

 

 
January Crimeans overwhelmingly vote to leave Ukraine and join Russia.

 

 11 January Federal Assembly begins work.
  23 Feb State Duma passes amnesty for political and economic crimes.  Those responsible for 1991 and 1993 coup attempts are forgiven.
Summer MMM Bank founded by Sergei Mavrodi in 1991 collapses.  With its collapse many Russians lose their life savings in his pyramid scheme.
  16 June Yegor Gaidar resigns as first deputy prime minister
  July Boris Yeltsin meets with G-7 leaders in Naples
11 August General Valentin Varannikov is acquitted of treason charges by Supreme Court.  The charges were in response to his role in the August 1991 coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev.
3 September Russia and China formally ended decades of confrontation and agreed to cease aiming nuclear missiles at each other.
October Moscow hosts exhibition of US art to increase US-Russian understandings.  Art is viewed by many as decadent.
  11 October Ruble crashes on world markets
14 October Viktor Gerashchenko, the conservative chairman of the Central Bank is forced to resign due to the crisis affecting the ruble.
  Solzhenitsyn addresses the State Duma
  28 November Russian Security Council votes to send troops to Chechnya.
12 December Russian troops invade Chechnya.

1995

 

 

 

 

 

 27 January Federal Assembly bans loans from Central Bank to the government without its approval.
February Sergei Mavrodi is voted eligable to take his seat in the Duma.
  Spring Russian forces fight villagers in Samashky.
  14 June Chechens take hostages at Budennovsk.
  July Yeltsin suffers first heart attack.
29 August Eduard Shevardnadze, the leader of Georgia, survives an assassination attempt when a car explodes near his motorcade.
23 October Russian President Boris Yeltsin and the President of the United States agree that Russia could take part in a peacekeeping force to police any settlement in Bosnia.
  23 October Yeltsin suffers second heart attack.
28 October In Baku a crowded underground railway train cauches fire between Ulduz and Narimanov stations.  289 people died and 270 were injured.
  17 December 43 parties field candidates in Duma elections.
Communist Party of the Russian Federation under Gennady Zyuganov dominates Duma elections.

1996

 

 

 

 
  5 January Kozyrev resigns as foreign minister and is replaced by Primakov.
  29 March Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan sign integration accords in Moscow
  2 April Russia & Belarus sign 'Agreement on the Formation of a Community'
  16 June Presidential primaries held: 
Yeltsin & Zyuganov of the Communist Party win
  26 June Ukrainian Parliament adopts constitution
3 July Yeltsin defeats Zyuganov in run-off election
  12 July Ukrainian constitution signed by President Kuchma.
  5 August Chechen rebels re-take Grozny.
  23 August Full-scale combat operations end in Chechnya.
  31 August Alexander Lebed and Aslan Maskhadov sign peace accord in Chechnya.
24 September The United States, China, France, Russia and Britain became the first signatories to a new treaty banning nuclear tests.
17 October Alexander Lebed is removed from his post after only four months in office by Boris Yeltsin.
  5 November Yeltsin undergoes quintuple by-pass surgery.
  28 November Belorussian President Lukashenko signs new constitution extending his powers and replaces the parliament.
  1 December Russian troops begin withdrawal from Chechnya.

1997

 

 

 

 
  1 January New Criminal Code replaces 1960 Soviet code.
  22 January Chechen elections held; Aslan Maskhadov wins with 65% of vote.
  21 March Yeltsin and US President Bill Clinton meet in Helsinki to discuss expansion of NATO.
  April Union Treaty signed.
  27 May Yeltsin and Clinton sign "Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and the Russian Federation" which creates a permanent joint council including Russia in NATO decision-making.
30 May Russian-Belarus Union Charter signed by Lukashenko and Yeltsin.  It declared a strategic partnership between the two nations.
  11 June Russian-Belarus Union Charter goes into effect.
20 June In an effort to improve relations with Japan, Russia pledges to stop targeting Japan with nuclear missiles.
  28 June Tajik Peace and National Reconciliation Accord signed in Moscow.
10 November Boris Yeltsin of Russia and Jiang Zemin of China end the long running border dispute between the two nations with the signing of a declaration that settles the border issue.
20 November President Boris Yeltsin removes the economic reformer Anatoly Chubais from his job as finance minister.  Chubais is allowed to keep his position as first deputy prime minister.

1998

 

 

 

 
  23 March Yeltsin fires Chernomyrdin, reorganizes cabinet
  24 April Sergei Kirienko finally confirmed as prime minister
  27 May Massive sell-off of Russian bonds, securities and rubles
  17 July The bodies of Tsar Nicholas II and family are buried in St. Petersburg.  The ceremony was attended by Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
17 August Russian financial crisis
Kirienko announces ruble devaluation.
Market is paralyzed by liquidity shortages, stock share prices plunge, and Russia defaults foreign loans.
  23 August Yeltsin removes entire government, appoints Victor Chernomyrdin interim Prime Minister.
  10 September Victor Chernomyrdin steps aside as Duma rejects nomination twice.
  11 September Yuri Primakov confirmed prime minister.

The first official Japanese visit to Russia in 25 years takes place when Japan's Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi arrives in Moscow.
7 October Thousands of people in Russia take to the streets to protest againts unpaid wages.  They also call on President Boris Yeltsin to resign.

1999

 

 

 

 
24 March NATO Operation 'Allied Force' begins against Serbia.  Russians protest NATO aggression.
12 July Russian troops seize Pristina and airport with 200 troops.  They are welcomed by Serbian people.  Eventually this move allows Russians to take active role in peacekeeping process with 3500 troops.
April Yevgeny Primakov replaces Kiriyenko.
Prosecutor General Yuri Skuratov is removed after Yeltsin allies air a videotape showing Skuratov in a sex scandal.
In retalliation, Skuratov orders arrest of Yeltsin ally Boris Berezovsky.
  12 May Yeltsin removes entire cabinet, including Primakov.
  13 May Impeachment hearings begins in Duma
  15 May Impeachment vote against Yeltsin fails
  19 May Duma approves Sergei Stepashin as new Prime Minister.
9 August Stepashin is dismissed as prime minister.
  16 August Vladimir Putin confirmed prime minister.
  September Russian money-laundering scheme via Bank of New York unravels.
September 300 civilians die in Moscow apartment explosions linked to Chechen terrorists.

2000

 

 

 

 
1 January Massive holiday display in Moscow for millennium celebration.
  26 March Vladimir Putin elected president after promising to take a hard line with Chechens.
9 August Over 30 warships of the Northern fleet move out to take part in routine naval exercise.
12 August 'Oscar' class missile submarine K-141 'Kursk' sinks in the Barents sea.  118 sailors are lost.
17 October Russian Su-24 and Su-27 aircraft fly unopposed over a US carrier battle group.  The failure to intercept the aircraft causes much embarrassment to the United States Navy.

2001

 

 

 

 
  23 March MIR space station successfully splashes down in Pacific Ocean.
28 April Russian Space Agency flies American Dennis Tito to International Space Station as first private citizen in space.
6 May Dennis Tito returns to Earth.
11 September Vladimir Putin pledges Russian support in 'War on Terrorism' after Islamic terrorists destroy World Trade Center in United States.  Russia stops all military exercises that probe US

2002

 

 

 

 
  26 April Russian space agency sends a South African millionaire to International Space Station.
A pair of Tu-95 Bear H strategic bombers fly within 37 miles of Alaska recently ending the post 9/11 ban on such strategic probing exercises.
28 April Governor of Kraznoyarsk district, Alexander Lebed (age 52) is killed in helicopter accident.  He was known for signing treaty in 1996 ending hostilities in Chechnya.
May Islamic terrorists explode a bomb during a Victory Day parade in the Caucasus.

 

Statistics of the Russian Republic (1999)

• Population: 146.2 million
• Life expectancy at birth: 66
• Infant mortality rate: 16 per 1,000 births
• GNP per capita: $2,250 billion
• Gross Domestic Product: $184.6 billion
• Defense spending: $56 billion
• Ruble/Dollar Ratio: 29 Rubles = 1 Dollar
• Inflation rate:  +86 percent
• Unemployment rate: 11.5 percent
• Poverty: 40% earn less than $51 per month

  

 

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