User:PurpleHaze2022/The Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic
The Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic (1993-1994) was a Chechen force established in the Nadterentyj District of Chechnya, following the fall of the Soviet Union. The Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic was in stark opposition to the then current President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, President Dzhokhar Dudayev. The Provisional Council emerged out of the Nadterentyj District late in the year of 1993, being established on December 16th, 1993.[1] They were lead by Umar Avturkhanov, a former Soviet Union Ministry of Internal Affairs officer.[2] Constituted of former military groups and criminal organizations. Based in the Nadterentyji District, the military arm of the council was headed by former Grozny mayor, Bislan Gantamirov.[2] As an opposing force to President Dzhokhar Dudayev, the Provisional Council focused entirely on the removal of said President. On the 3rd and 4th of June, 1994, the Provisional Council held a “Congress of the Peoples of Chechnya” where they declared themselves to be the sole legitimate authority of Chechnya.[2] Umar Avturkhanov was chairman of the council until he was succeeded by Ali Alavdinovich Alavdinov as the Provisional Council declared Alavdinov Prime Minister of the newly formed Chechen government.[3] The Provisional Council was dissolved as was their declared new government on the 23rd of November, 1994 at the beginning the First Chechen War.[3]
The Council's founding
The Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic was established on December 16th, 1963 in the Nadterentyj District. Before the founding, the district was already insubordinate to the President and Grozny.[1] The head of the district, Umar Avturkhanov, would take his place as the leader of the Council. Established in opposition to President Dudayev, the Council attracted the likes of others in opposition, such as Bislan Gantamirov and Ruslan Labazonov.[1] Labazonov, a notorious crime leader, was leading his own forces before joining the council in the summer of 1994 following a crushing defeat to Dudayev’s forces.[2] All members of the Council were unified thanks to their opposition to Dudayev. The Provisional Council was based in the Nadterentyj District, not just for Avturkhanov’s former position, but the location was also away from Dudayev’s reach.[1] Following the aforementioned declaration of a new Chechen government in August of 1994, the Provisional Council still had numerous issues that the members did not agree on. While the members all supported Chechen independence, the majority did not support a Russian intervention.[2] However, Avturkhanov did support Russian intervention and already had been in contact with the Kremlin prior to August of 1994.[1]
Russian Intervention with the Provisional Council
Russian and anti-Dudayev forces like the Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic had similar interests in seeing Dudayev removed. The Russian Federal Counter Intelligence Service (FSK) secretly began aiding The Provisional Council. Secret orders came from Russian President Boris Yeltsin to continue to aid the Council. The aid went as far as Russia allocating 150 Billion Rubles, as well as enough men for four battalions that would fall under the leadership of Avturkhanov.[4] Furthermore, the FSK supplied the Avturkhanov forces with Russian attack helicopters, of which the Provisional Council used in a handful of attacks in the late weeks of September and early weeks of October 1994. Additionally, the Russians provide tens of tanks to aid in the assault of Grozny. All aid provided was vehemently denied by the Russians, even after unidentified flying objects were identified as Russian helicopters.