Maskhadov

That May, Yeltsin and Maskhadov signed a treaty agreeing to “reject forever the use of force, or threat to use force, to resolve any disputes.”

The Return Daniel Treisman 2011

Russian bombers circled “like a swarm of flies” above them, Aslan Maskhadov, the Chechen military commander, later recalled.

The Return Daniel Treisman 2011

In Russian military circles, many thought Lebed, who had negotiated the accord with Maskhadov, a traitor who had stabbed the army in the back.

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Maskhadov first tried to coopt Basayev, but soon found himself fighting him and his radical allies.

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Why Grozny was such a target is not entirely clear since it was still controlled by Maskhadov, who even the Russians agreed had not been organizing terrorist attacks or cross-border incursions.

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Maskhadov, although disavowing the Dagestan adventure, would not go this far.

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On September 29, Putin offered to negotiate with Maskhadov if he condemned terrorism “clearly and firmly,” ejected armed bands from Chechnya, and agreed to extradite “criminals.”

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Maskhadov died in March 2005 after special forces threw a grenade into the basement where he was hiding.

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Maskhadov fired him from the post of chief mufti, calling him an “enemy of the Chechen people” who “should be eliminated.”

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At home, Maskhadov remained almost completely isolated.

The Return Daniel Treisman 2011