Chechnya, with an area of 1.73 million square kilometers, is exactly11of Russia's land area, and its area is almost negligible. However, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Russia fought two Chechen wars for this "sesame" land. Although they all won, they were also miserable. As far as I know, the Russian army lost at least 12 major generals and 4 lieutenant generals in these two wars.
So why does Russia attach so much importance to Chechnya? I think there are three reasons:
First, Chechnya is Russia's strategic barrier.
Russia ranks first in the world in terms of land area and seems to have a great strategic depth. In fact, there is hardly any danger to defend against. Looking through the topographic map, we will find that the core area of Russia is located in the Eastern European Plain, followed by the endless Western Siberian Plain and the Central Siberian Plateau. This kind of terrain is most suitable for large-scale and large-scale corps operations, and it is difficult to defend. At this point, the Soviet Union suffered losses in World War II.
Caucasus mountain range is the only barrier to guard the core area, which is directly related to the security of the Russian hinterland. Chechnya is such a situation. How important do you think! Historically, whether it was the Mongolian invasion, the Caucasus War or the invasion of Russia by foreign enemies, it all started here first. Do you think Russia will let Chechnya out easily?
Second, when Chechnya is stable, Russia will be stable.
Russians believe in the Orthodox Church, while most Chechens are Muslims. The two are incompatible. /kloc-In the middle of the 0/9th century, after the Caucasus War, Chechnya was forced to merge into the Russian Empire. However, people's hearts are always unstable, seeking independence many times, and even standing on the Nazi side during World War II.
Over the years, as long as Russia is in turmoil, Chechnya will definitely have a centrifugal tendency; Once there is turmoil in Chechnya, it will in turn aggravate internal instability in Russia. Therefore, in the eyes of Russians, Chechnya can neither be lost nor chaotic!
Third, Chechnya is the lifeline connecting Transcaucasia.
Caspian Sea is one of the largest oil-producing areas in the world. Oil pipelines and railway trunk lines pass through Chechnya, connecting Russia with the outside world. Since the Soviet era, a large amount of crude oil has been transported to western Europe through Chechnya, earning a lot of foreign exchange for the Soviet Union. At the same time, Chechnya also shoulders the heavy responsibility of crude oil processing.
Today, oil is also the lifeline of Russia, and the importance of Chechnya is even more prominent when the United States wants to bring down Russia with oil prices more than once.
In addition, external forces are always trying to create a crisis in Chechnya to affect Russia's development. Of course, Russia will not sit idly by, even if the sacrifice is great, Chechnya will win!