Galashki ambush
| Galashki ambush | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Second Chechen War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Russia |
 Chechen Republic of Ichkeria | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Cpt. Sergei Maziyev[1] |
Ruslan Khuchbarov[2][3] | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 22[4] | 15–35[5] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
Official figure: 19 killed 3 wounded 1 missing | No casualties | ||||||
Galashki ambush took place of May 11, 2000,[1][5] when the separatist militants from the group of Shamil Basayev, led by a Galashki native Ruslan Khuchbarov, attacked and destroyed a convoy of the Russian Interior Ministry paramilitary forces in the Republic of Ingushetia. The incident was the first major act of violence linked to the Second Chechen War in Ingushetia and the first major rebel raid outside the neighbouring Chechnya since war began in 1999.
Battle
[edit]According to the Russian sources, in the convoy there were 22 Internal Troops servicemen from Altai Krai, returning aboard two military trucks to Vladikavkaz, capital city of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, having completed a tour of duty in Ingushetia. At about 12 am, at a highway near the village of Galashki, a group of rebels located in the woods overlooking the road suddenly opened fire on them with grenade launchers and machine guns (some sources also mention mortar and sniper fire), disabling the first truck and then quickly obliterating the whole convoy. Following their attack, the rebels managed to escape the pursuit and vanished into the forest near the village of Bamut in Chechnya.[2][4][6][7][8][9]
Aftermath
[edit]According to the Chechen separatist website Kavkaz Center, three heavy trucks and two BTR armored vehicles were destroyed, while "not less than 40" Russian soldiers were killed by an unspecified unit of fighters from the Southwestern Front of the Armed Forces of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Нападение на колонну в Ингушетии: уже 19 погибших" (in Russian). Lenta.ru. 11 May 2000. Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
- ^ a b Head Terrorist “The Colonel” Not Found among the Dead Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, Kommersant, Sep. 10, 2004
- ^ Askerov, Ali (22 April 2015). Historical Dictionary of the Chechen Conflict. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 102. ISBN 9781442249257.
- ^ a b Rebels Destroy a Convoy Outside Chechnya, New York Times, May 12, 2000
- ^ a b "КТО ВИНОВАТ?" (in Russian). Утро.ру. 12 May 2000. Archived from the original on 2001-01-13. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
- ^ Russian convoy hit by rebels, BBC News, 11 May 2000
- ^ Chechens cross border to kill troops troops, The Guardian, May 12, 2000
- ^ 18 Troops Killed in Ingushetia Ambush Archived 2011-08-07 at the Wayback Machine, The Moscow Times, 12 May 2000
- ^ Chechen Rebels' Ambush Kills 18 Russian Troops In Neighboring Republic, Chicago Tribune, May 12, 2000
- ^ Russian column attacked near Galashki Archived 2012-03-15 at the Wayback Machine, Kavkaz Center, May 11th, 2000 (mirror)