Draft:Dzhokhar Dudayev

Dzhokhar Dudayev
File:Dudayev.jpg
Name	Dzhokhar Dudayev
Personal Details
Birth Place	Chechnya

Dzhokhar Dudayev was the president and leader of the Chechen independence seekers after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Dzhokhar Dudayev was the president and leader of the Chechen independence seekers after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Dudayev was born in 1323 SH / 1944 during World War II in one of the villages of Chechnya into a poor family. He was the son of Musa Dudayev, a veterinarian and one of the old Bolsheviks. His family was exiled to Kazakhstan following the purges of the Stalin era in the same year as Dudayev's birth. In that year, all Chechen and Ingush people were exiled to Central Asia and Kazakhstan, and returned to Chechnya in 1336 SH / 1957.

Education

Dudayev studied mathematics, but was expelled from school due to supporting the uprising of Imam Shamil, the Imam of the Naqshbandis. Afterward, he went to the Air Force school in the city of Tambov, Russia, and eventually graduated from the Gagarin Higher Air Force School.

From Service to Presidency

Dudayev attained the rank of Colonel and served in Afghanistan, and became a member of the Communist Party in 1345 SH / 1966. He was promoted to the rank of General in 1368 SH / 1989 and appointed as a division commander. Dudayev was one of the best army officers and a respectable individual. With the beginning of the Perestroika era, the open political space, and the intensification of independence-seeking activities in the Soviet republics, political developments in Chechnya also accelerated. Following the establishment of a chemical plant in the city of Gudermes, public protests intensified, and with its politicization, civil groups became active. On 2 Azar 1369 / November 23, 1990, the Chechen National Congress was formed and declared Chechnya's independence, and Dudayev was elected as its executive committee chairman.

Entry into Politics

Dudayev, who had not intervened in politics until this year, resigned from the army afterward. The Yanayev coup against the Gorbachev government (then leader of the Soviet Union) on 28 Mordad 1370 / August 19, 1991 accelerated the course of developments. With Boris Yeltsin coming to power in Russia, the National Congress led by Dudayev supported him, but official Chechen authorities supported the coup plotters. However, after the victory, Yeltsin did not recognize the National Congress and Chechnya's independence. In Khordad 1370 / June 1991, at the second gathering of the National Congress, Dudayev criticized Russia. On 31 Mordad 1370 / August 22, 1991, Dudayev's supporters, who demanded full independence for Chechnya, took control of the television station, and two days later brought down the statue of Lenin in the main square of the city of Grozny (capital of Chechnya). Coinciding with these events, the Chechen National Guard was formed and attacked the Supreme Council of the Republic, which was responsible for administering Chechnya, and forced Doku Zavgayev (chairman of the Republic Council) to resign. Clashes also occurred between forces supporting Chechen independence (led by Dudayev) and the Republic Council. On 20 Shahrivar 1370 / September 11, 1991, a delegation from Moscow entered Grozny to establish peace between the parties. However, Zavgayev's stubbornness led to the failure of this delegation's mission. Following this failure, the Chechen National Congress transferred executive power to a 32-member interim council, whose first action was handing over the Political Training Center building to the Islamic Institute. In Mehr 1370 / October 1991, General Alexander Rutskoy, Vice President of Russia, entered Grozny at the head of a delegation to end the conflicts. The delegation met with Dudayev and some leaders of local groups, but after returning to Moscow, Rutskoy, calling Dudayev's supporters terrorists, demanded severe action against them. Russian authorities, in a statement, asked Chechen armed groups to surrender their weapons so that elections could be held based on Russian laws. Since no action was taken in this regard, Yeltsin, on 27 Mehr 1370 / October 19, 1991, gave the Chechens three days to accept this decision. Dudayev considered Yeltsin's action as a declaration of war and asked the Chechens to prepare for war.

Presidential Elections

On 5 Aban 1370 / 27 October 1991, the Chechen presidential election was held, and Dudayev won against three other electoral candidates by securing 90% of the votes. In Aban 1370 / November 1991, the government of the Republic in Chechnya was formed independently of Russia. Russia did not recognize the Chechen election and Dudayev's victory, issued an arrest warrant for Dudayev, and dispatched the army to Chechnya, but it yielded no result and Russian forces withdrew from Chechnya. Dudayev released a group of prisoners to strengthen the city's defense force, many of whom later became members of the National Guard or his personal bodyguards. During this period, with the deterioration of the economic situation, Chechnya became a hub for mafia activities and one of the main centers for drug trafficking. However, Dudayev had many economic plans, including the nationalization of Chechen industries, creating financial and credit resources, industrial development, and job creation. Following the signing of a memorandum between the Parliament and Russia regarding Chechen independence, Dudayev, believing that this memorandum would jeopardize Chechen independence, accused the Parliament representatives of treason and dissolved the Parliament. Following this accusation, pressure from opponents on Dudayev and his government increased. In Mordad 1372 / August 1993, in a failed assassination attempt, two of Dudayev's bodyguards were injured, and in an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency in Moscow, Dudayev held Russia responsible for the unrest in Chechnya. On 6 Khordad 1373 / 27 May 1994, another assassination attempt was made on Dudayev, resulting in the death of the Interior Minister and several of his bodyguards. Following this incident, Dudayev went into seclusion and limited his activities. With the start of elections in Moscow and the necessity of resolving the Chechen issue, in the spring and summer of 1373 SH / 1994, tensions between the Moscow and Grozny governments rose, and Dudayev once again continued his efforts for Chechen independence.

War with the Russian Government

After the failure of Russian security agencies' plans to overthrow Dudayev, Yeltsin declared war on Chechnya by issuing a decree. This war continued until 1375 SH / 1996, but yielded no result for Russia. Eventually, the Russians, who considered Dudayev's will effective in achieving Chechen independence, concluded that by eliminating him, they would take control of Chechen affairs. After several unsuccessful attempts, on 21 April 1995 / 1 Ordibehesht 1374, they located his position in a farm near Gekhi-Chu, 30 kilometers southwest of Grozny, and killed him by launching a rocket. After his death, Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, Dudayev's deputy since 1372 SH / 1992, who was also a theorist and writer, succeeded him and signed a peace agreement with the Russian government on 6 Khordad 1374 / 27 May 1995.