DUDAYEV, JOKHAR MUSAYEVICH

(1944–1996)

Born during the forced deportation of the Chechen nation to SovietCentral Asia, Jokhar Dudayev returned toChechnyain 1957. He defied the odds by rising to the rank of Major-General in the Sovietair force. After participating in theSoviet-Afghan War, he was stationed inEstonia, where he displayed empathy with local nationalists during the late 1980s. He returned to his homeland in 1990 and entered politics, supporting the campaign to elevate the Checheno-IngushAutonomous Soviet Socialist Republic(ASSR) to the status of aunion republic.In the wake of theAugust Coupof 1991, Jokhar Dudayev moved against his pro-Communist opponents and declared an independentChechen Republic of Ichkeriya, with himself as its president.Boris Yeltsinordered federal troops to move against theseparatistregime but withdrew them after being confined to the airport by forces loyal to Dudayev. Ichkeriya was recognized byGeorgia, then in the midst of its own civil war, but received little support from other quarters. Dudayev oversaw Chechnya’s split fromIngushetiyain 1992, a development that buttressed his own authority in the region. He then instituted a number of reforms, including a series of disastrous economic policies and the abandonment of theRussian language, as well as the universal right to bear arms. His rule grew more authoritarian in 1994, allowing the Kremlin the opportunity to fund and arm opposition groups within Ichkeriya. Hoping to win a short and popular war in advance of his reelection campaign, Yeltsin initiated the firstChechen Warin 1994. Dudayev was forced to quit the capital, Grozny, but promised to continue leading a guerilla war until the Russians relented. After more than a year in hiding, Dudayev was killed on 21 April 1996 by two laser-guided missiles that targeted the satellite phone he was using. He was succeeded by his vice president, Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev.