Pre-Crisis Phase (August 24, 1991-March 19, 1993): Russia declared its independence from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) on August 24, 1991. Boris Yeltsin had been elected president of Russia with some 60 percent of the vote on June 12, 1990. The USSR was dissolved on December 25, 1991, and Russia achieved its independence on December 25, 1991. President Yeltsin dismissed Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar, and appointed Viktor Chernomyrdin as prime minister on December 14, 1992.
Crisis Phase (March 20, 1993-December 12, 1993): President Boris Yeltsin declared emergency rule on March 20, 1993, and called for a referendum to be held in one month. Some 65 percent of Russians approved of President Yeltsin and his economic policies in the referendum held on April 25, 1993. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly (PA) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) established a mission consisting of some 60 observers to monitor the referendum from April 23-27, 1993. President Yeltsin dissolved the parliament on September 21, 1993. Britain, France, Ukraine, and the US expressed support for President Yeltsin on September 21, 1993, and Chancellor Helmut Kohl of Germany expressed support for President Yeltsin on September 22, 1993. The Congress of People’s Deputies responded by impeaching President Yeltsin on September 24, 1993, and appointed Vice-President Vladimir Rutskoi as interim president. President Yeltsin ordered government troops to surround the parliament building in Moscow on September 25, 1993. President Yeltsin declared a state-of-emergency in Moscow on October 3, 1993, and government troops suppressed the “parliamentary rebellion” on October 4, 1993. Britain and the US expressed support for President Yeltsin on October 3, 1993. President Yeltsin lifted the state-of-emergency in Moscow on October 18, 1993. Parliamentary elections were held on December 12, 1993, and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) headed by Vladimir Zhirinovsky won 59 out of 225 “proportional representation” seats in the Duma. The Russia’s Choice (RC) won 40 seats in the Duma, and the Communist Party of Russia (CPR) won 32 seats in the Duma. A new constitution was approved by 55 percent of Russians in a referendum on December 12, 1993. The OSCE/ODIHR established an election observation mission to monitor the parliamentary elections and constitutional referendum. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) sent two observers to monitor the parliamentary elections and constitutional referendum. Some 150 individuals were killed during the crisis.
Post-Crisis Phase (December 13, 1993-August 7, 1999): Parliamentary elections were held on December 17, 1995, and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) won a plurality of 22 percent of the vote. The OSCE/ODIHR and the European Union (EU) established a joint election observation mission consisting of 434 observers to monitor the parliamentary elections. The NHC sent two observers to monitor the parliamentary elections, and issued a report on the elections on January 5, 1996. Russia joined the Council of Europe (COE) on February 27, 1996. Four individuals were killed in a bombing in Moscow on June 11, 1996. President Yeltsin was re-elected president with some 54 percent of the vote in the runoff election on July 3, 1996. The OSCE/ODIHR established an election observation mission consisting of eleven long-term observers and 506 short-term observers from 31 countries headed by Michael Meadowcroft of Britain to monitor the election process from April 15 to July 15, 1996. The OSCE/ODIHR mission reported that the elections were “well managed and well run.” The EU sent observers to monitor the president elections. The COE Parliamentary Assembly sent six observers headed by Ernst Muehlemann of Switzerland to monitor the second round of the presidential election beginning on July 2, 1996. On September 6, 1996, the COE mission reported that the election was “free and fair.” The NHC sent seven observers to monitor the presidential election on June 15-July 4, 1996. The NHC reported that the presidential election was free and fair. The International Republican Institute (IRI) sent 35 observers headed by John McCain and Richard Thornburgh of the US to monitor the presidential election. Some thirteen individuals were killed in a bombing of a military apartment building in Kaspiysk, Dagestan republic on November 16, 1996. President Yeltsin dismissed Prime Minister Chernomyrdin, and appointed Sergei Kiriyenko as prime minister on March 23, 1998. President Yeltsin dismissed Prime Minister Kiriyenko, and appointed Viktor Chernomyrdin as interim prime minister on August 23, 1998. The Duma rejected the nomination of Viktor Chernomyrdin as interim prime minister on August 31, 1998. Some 17 individuals were killed in a car bombing in Makhachkala, Dagestan republic on September 5, 1998. President Yeltsin appointed Yevgeny Primakov as prime minister on September 10, 1998, and the Duma approved the nomination of Yevgeny Primakov as prime minister on September 11, 1998. President Yeltsin dismissed Prime Minister Primakov, and appointed Sergei Stepashin as interim prime minister on May 12, 1999, and Prime Minister Stepashin was approved by the Duma on May 19, 1999.
Crisis Phase (August 8, 1999-present): Government troops attacked Islamic militants in Dagestan republic beginning on August 8, 1999. President Yeltsin dismissed Prime Minister Stepashin, and appointed Vladimir Putin as prime minister on August 9, 1999. Islamic militants proclaimed the independent Islamic Republic of Dagestan on August 10, 1999. Islamic militants in Dagestan were defeated on September 15, 1999. Some 1,000 individuals, including 280 government soldiers, were killed and some 11,000 individuals were displaced during the Dagestan conflict. One individual was killed in a bombing of a mall in Moscow on August 31, 1999. Some 64 individuals were killed in a bombing of a military apartment building in Buinaksk, Dagestan on September 4, 1999. Some 94 individuals were killed in a bombing of an apartment building in Moscow on September 8, 1999. Some 118 individuals were killed in a bombing of an apartment building in Moscow on September 13, 1999. Seventeen individuals were killed in a bombing of an apartment building in Volgodonsk on September 16, 1999. Parliamentary elections were held on December 19, 1999, and the CPRF won 113 out of 449 seats in the Duma. The Unity (Yedinstvo) movement won 72 seats, and the Fatherland-All Russia (OVR) coalition won 66 seats in the Duma. The OSCE/ODIHR established an election observation mission consisting of 29 long-term observers and 400 short-term observers from 22 countries headed by Helle Degn of Denmark to monitor the parliamentary elections beginning on November 5, 1999 (the OSCE/ODIHR mission issued its final report on February 13, 2000). The COE Parliamentary Assembly sent 25 observers headed by Ernst Muehlemann of Switzerland to monitor the parliamentary elections on December 18-20, 1999. The COE Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (CLRA) sent five observers to monitor the municipal elections in Vladivostok on December 17-21, 1999. President Yeltsin resigned on December 31 1999, and Prime Minister Putin was appointed interim president on January 1, 2000. Vladimir Putin was elected president with 53 percent of the vote on March 26, 2000, and he was inaugurated as president on May 7, 2000. The OSCE/ODIHR established an election observation mission consisting of 34 long-term observers and 380 short-term observers from 32 countries headed by Helle Degn of Denmark to monitor the presidential election beginning on February 8, 2000 (the OSCE/ODIHR mission issued its final report on May 19, 2000). The COE Parliamentary Assembly sent 13 observers from ten countries headed by Bjorn von der Esch to monitor the presidential election on March 23-28, 2000. Mikhail Kasyanov was confirmed as prime minister by the Duma on May 17, 2000. Eight individuals were killed in a bombing of a subway in Moscow on August 9, 2000. Some 171 individuals were killed as a result of the taking of hostages by Islamic militants at a theater in Moscow on October 23-26, 2002. Islamic militants killed six government soldiers near Nazran on August 8, 2003. Parliamentary elections were held on December 7, 2003, and the pro-President Putin political party, United Russia (Yedinaya Rossiya), won 222 out of 450 seats in the Duma. The CPR won 51 seats in the Duma. The OSCE/ODIHR sent some 56 long-term observers and 480 short-term observers to monitor the parliamentary elections from November 3 to December 8, 2003. The COE Parliamentary Assembly sent 28 observers to monitor the parliamentary elections. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Inter-Parliamentary Assembly sent 200 observers to monitor the parliamentary elections from November 12 to December 8, 2003. President Putin was re-elected with 71.2 percent of the vote in a presidential election held on March 14, 2004. The OSCE/ODIHR sent 51 long-term observers and 328 short-term observers headed by Julian Peel Yates of Britain to monitor the presidential election from February 12 to March 15, 2004. The COE Parliamentary Assembly sent twelve observers to monitor the presidential election. The CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly sent observers to monitor the presidential election. Islamic militants killed 48 individuals near Nazran on June 22, 2004. Islamic militants took more than 1,200 children and adults hostages in a school in Beslan on September 1-3, 2004. Government troops used force to end the hostage crisis on September 3, 2004, resulting the deaths of some 344 civilians and 19 government soldiers. The President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned the Islamic militants on September 1, 2004, and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned the Islamic militants on September 3, 2004. President George W. Bush of the US condemned the Islamic militants on September 1, 2004. Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission (EC), condemned the Islamic militants on September 3, 2004. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), condemned the Islamic militants on September 3, 2004. Pope John Paul II, Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada, and Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain condemned the Islamic militants on September 3, 2004. The CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly condemned the Islamic militants on September 6, 2004. Zhang Deguang, secretary-general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), condemned the Islamic militants on September 6, 2004. Eleven government troops were killed in a bombing in Dagestan republic on July 1, 2005. Three government police officers were killed in a bombing in Makhachkala, Dagestan republic on August 20, 2005. Government troops clashed with Islamic militants near Nalchik in the North Caucasus region on October 14, 2005, resulting in the deaths of some 108 individuals. Ten individuals were killed in a bombing in Moscow on August 21, 2006. Government police clashed with Islamic militants in Makhachkala, Dagestan republic on August 27, 2006, resulting in the deaths of three government police officers and four Islamic militants. Some 2,500 individuals have been killed during the crisis.
[Sources: Associated Press (AP), May 12, 1999, March 27, 2000; Beigbeder, 1994, 262; British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), March 27, 2000, August 10, 2000, December 7, 2003, December 8, 2003, March 15, 2004, September 4, 2004, October 13, 2005, August 21, 2006, August 24, 2006; Cable News Network (CNN), September 5, 1998, August 8, 1999, August 15, 1999, September 13, 1999, September 16, 1999, September 1, 2004; Council of Europe (COE) press release, December 10, 1999, December 20, 1999, March 22, 2000, March 8, 2004; Ference, 1994, 337-391; Keesing’s Record of World Events, September 1993, October 1993, December 1993, June 1996, July 1996, December 1999; New York Times (NYT), August 8, 2003, October 15, 2005; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) newsletter, June 1996, July 1996; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly (PA)/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) press release, December 3, 1999, December 20, 1999, March 16, 2000, March 27, 2000, November 3, 2003, December 8, 2003, February 12, 2004, March 14, 2004; OSCE/ODIHR report, February 13, 2000, May 19, 2000, January 27, 2004; OSCE/ODIHR statement, December 19, 1999, March 27, 2000, December 8, 2003, March 15, 2004; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), December 16, 1995, December 25, 1995, February 27, 1996, June 17, 1996, June 20, 1996, July 4, 1996, May 12, 1999, August 9, 1999, December 31, 1999, March 27, 2000, May 17, 2000; Reuters, May 12, 1999, May 19, 1999, December 3, 1999, December 15, 1999, December 23, 1999, December 29, 1999, December 31, 1999, May 7, 2000, June 22, 2004.]