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Nine Killed In Russian Military Helicopter Crash
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| "When four helicopters fall, it is not a coincidence. The rebels' professionalism has a lot to do with it.” |
MOSCOW, Feb. 7 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Nine people were killed Thursday when a Russian military helicopter crashed in the independence-seeking republic of Chechnya, the fourth such deadly incident in the tumultuous region in less than two weeks.
The Mi-8 chopper crashed and exploded on impact shortly after its take-off from the Khankala military base outside the Chechen capital Grozny, AFP reported, based on Interfax news agency, which cited investigators with the Federal Security Service (FSB, ex-KGB).
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, and no Chechen leaders took immediate responsibility for downing the chopper.
"The helicopter crashed after reaching the height of 50 meters (165 feet). It spun down and exploded on impact," said a spokesman for the Russian air force, Alexander Dobryshevsky.
He said one survivor had been taken to hospital in a serious condition, and that a top commission had been sent from Moscow to investigate the incident.
"We hope that the survivor will be able to provide us with clues as to what caused the crash," an FSB official told Interfax.
The crash occurred less than two weeks after five senior Russian commanders, including a deputy interior minister, were killed in another helicopter accident in Chechnya which is still being investigated.
In all, 26 Russian soldiers have been reported killed in four helicopter accidents over Chechnya in just 11 days.
The losses threaten to deliver a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has declared war against independence fighters in Chechnya, saying federal troops are only in the region for policing purposes.
If Chechen forces are confirmed to be behind the series of crashes, it would represent a significant escalation in the 28-month conflict, which has degenerated into hit-and-run guerrilla fighting over the past two years.
"The military is continuing to fall apart because it is waging a strange war with a difficult enemy," said independent military analyst Alexander Golts. "This is why we have seen this series of crashes."
"This demonstrates that the improvement of the situation [in Chechnya] that the government has promised has not materialized," agreed Alexander Malashenko, a Caucasus region analyst with the Carnegie Moscow Center.
"When four helicopters fall, it is not a coincidence. The rebels' professionalism has a lot to do with it."
In an earlier incident Sunday, February 3, a federal helicopter was reported missing near the Chechen capital Grozny. Russian Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov was due to visit Chechnya Wednesday, February 6, to discuss the issue.
More than three days of searches for the Mi-24 helicopter, which vanished from radar screens as it traveled from Grozny to North Ossetia, capital of Vladikavkaz, have failed to provide any clues to its fate.
Military officials have said it could have crashed in the mountains in the south of the republic, but later admitted it could also have been brought down by Chechen independence fighters.
Eight helicopters and land search groups, representing a total of 160 men, have been engaged in the operation, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported.
On January 27, Russia suffered one of its most serious losses in the 28-month Chechnya war when five commanders, including two generals and a deputy interior minister, were killed when their helicopter was shot down over the breakaway Muslim republic.
The Russian army swept into Chechnya in October 1999 on what Moscow described then as an anti-terrorist campaign. Putin had pinned the blame for a series of bombings in Russia on Chechen independence fighters, although no proof of their involvement has ever been made public.
The war was a political gamble for Putin, with the resounding failure of a previous 1994-96 campaign in the republic that left tens of thousands dead and Chechnya with de facto independence, but it helped him win the presidency.
More than 3,500 Russian soldiers and up to 20,000 Chechen fighters have been killed in the fighting according to the official toll. The civilian toll of the war has never been reported.
History
During the Soviet era, Stalin, in order to maintain power and to prevent overthrow "by external powers manipulating internal ethnic groups", was pretty brutal in his control of the Chechen people. The Chechens therefore actually said they would welcome Germany if they recognized an independent Chechnya. This led to a mass deportation and relocation of Chechen people (and others) to Kazakhstan and Siberia. Around 800,000 people are said to have been relocated this way. Perhaps 100,000 or more of these people died due to the extreme conditions.
Chechnya declared independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In a move that looked as though Russia wished to show the world it could also do what the United States did to Iraq, it attacked Chechnya. The 1994-96 war left 80,000 casualties. The Russian assault devastated Grozny and other parts of Chechnya. However, the Chechens defeated Russia revealing how poor Russian military capabilities were.
Earlier in 1999, the Islamic uprising in the neighboring Dagestan region of Russia resulted in accusations by Moscow that Chechen government forces supported a Dagestan rebellion. While this was denied, Chechen fighters (that aren't really controlled by the central government) did support the Islamic uprising in Dagestan. This incursion led to a conflict with Russian forces that defeated the Chechens.
Current Crisis
Following the Chechen defeat in Dagestan, Moscow suffered bomb blasts believed to be by various separatists (although never proven). This has also led to a rise in Russia of racist sentiments against people mainly from the Caucasus regions.
Russia is now engaged in a full-scale war with Chechnya. There have been many reports of bombing raids by Russian forces and over 200,000 people are said to have fled from Chechnya. Grozny and other parts of Chechnya are being pounded and destroyed.
Once more, it is the civilian population that gets caught in the middle. Civilian casualties have been high and there has been international outcry at the brutal Russian crackdown and indiscriminate bombing and targeting of civilians.
Human Rights groups are concerned by Russian forces’ rampage, since issuing an ultimatum for citizens in Grozny to evacuate. The Russian troops have been looting and burning homes and buildings, even executing those who resist. The rest of the G8 and the European Union have even threatened to isolate Moscow if they continue their campaign.
On April 20, 2000, Chechen President, Ashlan Mashkadov, made a ceasefire offer. However, Russian demands have been stern, which triggered more suicide attacks and increased warfare by the Chechen combatants, indicating that the conflict is far from over.
As Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported in April 2001, "the U.N. Commission on Human Rights adopted a resolution on Chechnya that condemned serious human rights violations by Russian forces, and raised concern about forced disappearances, torture, and summary executions.
“Sponsored by the E.U., and with strong U.S. backing, the resolution called for U.N. special rapporteurs to investigate these abuses in the war-torn republic and for credible criminal investigations by domestic agencies into all human rights and humanitarian law violations.
Russia rejected a similar resolution adopted by the commission, and refused to comply with its requirements. It has vowed to do the same this year."
In May 2001, HRW also reported that Russian authorities covered evidence of extra-judicial executions.
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