Grozny - Name, History, Features

43°21N 45°42E, pop (2003e) 80–160 000 (estimates affected by refugee and militia movements). Capital city of Chechnya, SE European Russia; on a tributary of the R Terek, in the N foothills of the Greater Caucasus; founded as a fortress, 1818; airfield; railway; university (1972); major damage and disruption during war with Russia, 1995; virtually totally destroyed in renewed fighting, 1999–2000; oil refining, chemicals, foodstuffs.

For a volcano in the Kuril Islands named after Ivan Grozny, see Grozny Group.

Coordinates: 43°19′″N, 45°41′″E

Grozny or Groznyy (Russian: Гро́зный;

Name

"Grozny" means "fearsome" or "dangerous" in Russian (for example, the figure known in English as "Ivan the Terrible" is called "Ivan Grozny" in Russian). By Chechen separatists, the city is sometimes referred to as Dzhokhar or Djohar (Chechen: Djovkhar Ghaala);

According to the 2002 All-Russia population census, the city had a population of 210,720 people, a little more than half of the population a decade before

History

Russian fort and a Soviet regional capital

The Groznaya fortress was founded in 1818 as a Russian military outpost on the Sunzha River by Terek Cossacks and was a prominent defence centre during the Caucasian War. After the pacification of the region, the military use of the old fortress was obsolete and in December 1869 it was renamed to Grozny. In addition to the oil drilled in the city itself, the city became a geographical centre of Russia's network of oil fields, and also in 1893 became part of the Transcaucasia - Russia Proper railway.

The next day after the October Revolution (November 8, 1917), the Bolsheviks headed by N.Anisimov seized Grozny and established a Proletariat control. However with the arrival of Denikin's armies, the Bolsheviks were forced to withdraw and Grozny was captured on February 4, 1919 by the White Army.

On 30 November 1922, the mountain republic was dissolved, and the national district became the Chechen Autonomous Oblast (Chechen AO) with Grozny as capital. Grozny became capital of the Grozny Oblast of RSFSR, and the city at the time was again wholly Russian. Once again migration of non-Russians into Grozny continued whilst the ethnic Russian population, in turn, moved to other parts of the USSR, notably the Baltic states.

At the same time much development was fueled into the city. Architecture spiralled and like in many Soviet Cities was marked in periods beginning with the Stalinist apartments in the centre as well as administrative buildings including the massive Council of Ministers and the Grozny University buildings. Late construction include the high rise apartment blocks prominent in all Socialist cities and a city airport.

Collapse of Russian Authority

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Grozny became the seat of a separatist government led by Dzhokhar Dudaev.

The covert Russian attempts of overthrowing Dudayev by a means of an armed Chechen opposition forces resulted in a repeated failed assaults on the city. In meantime, Grozny airport and other targets were bombed by unmarked Russian aircraft.

First Chechen War

See also: Battle of Grozny (1994-1995) Battle of Grozny (March 1996) Battle of Grozny (August 1996)

During the First Chechen War, Grozny was the site of an intense battle lasting from December 1994 to February 1995 and ultimately ending with the capture of the city by the Russian military. Intense fighting and carpet bombing carried out by the Russian Air Force destroyed much of the city.

Unclaimed bodies were later collected and buried in mass graves on the city outskirts. The main federal military base in Chechnya was located in the area of Grozny air base, and the Leninsky district was location of the notorious PAP-1 "filtration camp" where Chechen suspects were imprisoned without trial and tortured.

Chechen guerrilla units operating from nearby mountains managed to harass and demoralize the Russian Army by means of guerilla tactics and raids, such as the attack on Grozny in March 1996, which aided to political and public pressure for a withdrawal of Russian troops. The battle ended with a final ceasefire and Grozny was once again in the hands of Chechen separatists.

Second Chechen War

See also: Battle of Grozny (1999-2000)

Grozny was once again the epicenter of fighting after the outbreak of the Second Chechen War, which further caused thousands of fatalities. During the early phase of the Russian siege on Grozny in October 25, 1999, Russian forces launched five SS-21 ballistic missiles at the crowded central bazaar and a maternity ward, killing more than 140 people and injuring hundreds in the Grozny marketplace.

During the massive shelling of the city that followed, most of the Russian artillery were directed toward the upper floors of the buildings.

The final seizure of the city was set in February 2000, when the Russian military lured the besieged militants to a promised safe passage. During one day prior to the planned evacuation, the Russian Army mined the path between the city and the open the village of Alkhan-Kala and concentrated most firepower on that point. Afterwards, the Russians slowly entered the empty city and on February 6 raised the Russian flag in the centre.

As of 2006, the federal government representatives of Chechnya are based in Grozny.

Even though the war is officially over, political murders, bombings and clashes between the Russian forces and the separatists continue but becoming increasingly less sporadic. On May 9, 2004, Chechen president Akhmad Kadyrov and several other top officials were killed in a bomb attack in Grozny. Out of several dozens of industrial enterprises, three have been partially rebuilt - the Grozny Machine-Building Factory, the Krasny Molot (Red Hammer) and Transmash factories.

Features

The city is divided into four administrative city districts: Leninsky, Zavodskoy, Staropromyslovsky, and Oktyabrsky. All of the districts are residential, but Staropromyslovsky district is also the city's main illegal oil drilling area, and Oktyabrsky district hosts most of the city's industry. However, nearly all of Grozny was destroyed or seriously damaged during the Chechen Wars.

Grozny was also known for its modern architecture and as a spa town. It has a university and is home to FC Terek Grozny.

Notable people from Grozny include Lyudmila Turishcheva.