Maskhadov, Aslan
Former President of Chechnya

Aslan Maskhadov was born September 21, 1951 in Shakai, Kazakhstan.  His family had been deported from Chechnya in 1944 as part of Stalin's deportations. His family moved back to Chechnya in 1957 and settled in the village of Zebir-Yurt.

1972 - graduated from Tbilisi Artillery College in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. After graduating from military school, Maskhadov commanded a platoon in the Far East military district

1981 Maskhadov graduated from Leningrad Kalinin Military Academy. After graduating, Maskhadov was sent to Hungary where he served as a squadron commander and later as a regiment commander. After his tour of duty in Hungary, Maskhadov was transferred to Lithuania, where he served as the regiment commander of the Baltic military district. Later he was appointed the commander of division rocket forces and artillery of the same military district.

1991 - served as the commander of civilian defense of the Chechen Republic and later as the deputy chief of staff of Chechen Armed Forces

1992 - Col. Maskhadov resigned from the Russian Armed Forces and became the first deputy commander of the Chechen Armed Forces.

March 1994 - promoted to the position of the chief of staff of the Chechen Armed Forces

December 1994-January 1995 - lead the defense of the presidential palace in Grozny against the Russian army

June 1995 - served as the chief of staff of Chechen President Duzhor Dudayev's army units in Dargo

August-October 1995 - represented the Chechen delegation at peace talks with Russian officials

August 1996 - represented Chechnya during peace negotiations with the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Gen. Alexander Lebed, after which Maskhadov was appointed the Prime Minister of the Chechen provisional coalition government. He became the first Chechen citizen to be awarded the "Khoman Siy" (Nation's Honor), Chechnya's highest meritorious decoration.

November 23, 1996 - Maskhadov signed a cooperation agreement with Russia on behalf of the Chechen Republic.  Viktor Chernomyrdin represented the Russian government.

December 1996 - resigned from all official positions in order to participate in the Chechen presidential elections

January 27, 1997 - Aslan Maskhadov was elected the President of Chechnya in an election declared by the Russian government and the OSCE. Appointed Shamil Basayev the regional commander of Chechen defenses

August 1999 - cooperated with a group of Chechen warlords - including Basayev and Khattab - to launch the invasion of Dagestan. The attack was repelled by the Russian army and combat operations moved to Chechnya in late September 1999. He was removed from power and went into hiding where he continued to lead assaults on Russian troops, including a raid into Ingushetia in June 2004.

March  8, 2005 - Aslan Maskhadov was killed by Russian forces in part of a renewed offensive following the siege of Beslan.

Maskhadov was recognized both as a committed freedom fighter, but also a negotiator for peace. His primary goal was Chechen independence, and sometimes his desire for freedom caused him to negotiate with terrorists, including Shamil Basayev. Maskhadov condemned violence against civilians, and he called for Basayev to stand trial for his role in the siege of Beslan. He also condemned the view of the war of Chechen independence as a jihad. While he was a conservative Muslim, he tried - unsuccessfully - to ban the radical form of Islam known as Wahabbism from Chechnya. 

last updated December 1, 2005