August 6–22, 1996
In a stunning reversal, Chechen commander Shamil Basayev launched Operation Jihad — a coordinated assault that retook Grozny from the 12,000 Russian troops garrisoning it. Chechen fighters moved through underground tunnels and infiltrated the city from multiple directions simultaneously, trapping Russian units and forcing a ceasefire within two weeks. The humiliation was total: Russia's military, the heir to the Red Army that had defeated Nazi Germany, was beaten by a few thousand mountain fighters.
Commanders