Chechnya recounts the story of the violent struggle for independence and the Kremlin politics that precipitated it. Historically, the Chechens' tight clan and religious structures made them especially resistant to assimilation by Russia. In 1944 they were one of the largest ethnic groups to be deported en masse by Stalin. Their history should have warned any Moscow strategist that, if forced to, many would fight a savage war to the end to defend themselves. And in the end the Chechen fighters achieved the almost impossible when they defeated the Russian army and forced it to withdraw.

Russian collection. Includes maps of: Eastern Caucasus; Chechnya; Grozny. Originally published: London: Pan, 1997.

New Year's Eve --The French of the Caucasus -- Conquest and resistance -- The deportations -- Dudayev's revolution -- Independent Chechnya -- A free economic zone -- A small victorious war -- Russia invades -- The battle for Grozny -- War against the people -- Terrorism and talks -- 'A semi-guerrilla war' -- Death in the gully -- Grozny recaptured -- Epilogue : Chechen independence -- Appendix 1 : Cast of characters -- Appendix 2 : Maps.