Thursday, 16 December 2021

Equipment losses during the 1st Chechen War

Thursday, December 16, 2021 0 Comments


The First Chechen War was fought between Russia and the Chechen Republic from December 1994 to August 1996, ultimately leading to the signing of a peace treaty in 1997 and the de facto independence of Chechnya. Prior to the Russian invasion and the subsequent two-year conflict, in November 1994, pro-Russian Chechen forces and Russian intelligence secretly intervened to support a coup attempt aimed at overthrowing the Dzhokhar Dudayev regime, but this attempt failed.

After successfully repelling a Russian armored attack on the capital Grozny, Dudayev threatened to execute dozens of Russian prisoners of war to force Russia to acknowledge its involvement in the coup. At the time, disgusted by the extreme lawlessness of Chechnya and realizing that its covert attempts to overthrow the regime had failed, Russia began formulating plans for an invasion of Chechnya, ultimately launching the invasion of this unrecognized post-Soviet state on December 11th.

Similar to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia's invasion of Chechnya was characterized by an overestimation of its own capabilities while drastically underestimating the Chechen people's determination to defend their territory. (Although highly unpopular even within the Russian military command) the Russian Ministry of Defense planned the invasion without consulting the General Staff or the North Caucasus Military District, which would carry out the invasion. [1]

Similar to Russia's prediction that they would capture Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, in a few days, Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev boasted that he could overthrow the Dudayev regime in a few hours using just one paratrooper regiment, and further stated that the invasion would be a "bloodless blitzkrieg" that wouldn't last a week.

Ultimately, the war lasted for two years, resulting in Russian defeat and the dismissal of Defense Minister Grachev. [2]

While the First Chechen War is generally considered the worst military defeat in modern Russian history, the losses suffered by the Russian military in this war pale in comparison to the losses incurred in the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War. [3]

After the initial conventional fighting of the war, which culminated in the infamous Battle of Grozny in which the Russian army lost dozens of T-72 and T-80 tanks, ended in 1995, they attempted to seize control of the Chechen mountainous region where Chechen fighters had established a network of hideouts. Russian forces, largely composed of conscripted soldiers, were suddenly thrust into guerrilla warfare despite being untrained and poorly equipped.

After the peace agreement that came into effect in early August 1995 failed to cease hostilities, fighting continued until August 1996, when a final ceasefire agreement was reached between Russia and Aslan Maskhadov, Chief of the Independent Army (Note: President Dudzhaev was killed by Russia in April). Incidentally, the Chechen army recaptured the capital Grozny that same month.

When people think of the Chechen War, they often picture mountain guerrilla warfare that heavily relied on ambushes and roadside IEDs. However, the Chechen army initially relied on conventional forces equipped with T-72 tanks, 2S3 self-propelled howitzers, BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers, 9K92 Luna-M tactical rockets, 9K31 Strela-1 and S-75 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), as well as Mi-8 helicopters and L-29 and L-39 trainer/light attack aircraft inherited from Soviet troops stationed on their territory.

Most of this equipment participated in a military parade held in the capital city of Grozny in February 1992. However, advanced systems such as the Luna-M, S-75, and L-29/L-39 were rarely used or never deployed due to a shortage of personnel. [4]

The vast majority of these were lost during the war, and by the time the Second Chechen War broke out in 1999, Chechen tactics had evolved from conventional warfare to guerrilla warfare.

  1. A detailed list of weapons used by both sides in the First Chechen War can be found below.
  2. This list only includes weapons that were destroyed or captured and verifiable through photographs or videos. Therefore, the actual number of weapons lost is undoubtedly greater than the number recorded here.
  3. Mortars, trucks, and weapons that were already decommissioned are not included in this list.
  4. Equipment found (with parts stripped) in large Russian junkyards is included only if it is damaged beyond repair or used for cannibalization. The dates listed do not necessarily indicate the exact date the equipment was lost (they are only approximations). Items manufactured before 1991 are marked with the Soviet flag.
  5. Clicking the number following the name of each weapon will show images of that weapon that was destroyed or captured.

Russia (767, of which 706 were destroyed, 24 were damaged, and 38 were captured)

Tanks (192, of which 167 were destroyed, 3 were damaged, and 22 were captured)

Armored fighting vehicles (48, of which 42 were destroyed, 2 were damaged, and 4 were captured)

Infantry fighting vehicles (302, of which 291 were destroyed, 4 were damaged, and 7 were captured)

Armored personnel carriers (153, of which 144 were destroyed, 8 were damaged, and 1 was captured)

Command and communication vehicles (4, of which 3 were destroyed and 1 was captured)

Engineer/support vehicles (4, of which 3 were destroyed and 1 was damaged)

Artillery support vehicles (5, of which 4 were destroyed and 1 was captured)

Self-propelled artillery (23, of which 20 were destroyed, 2 were damaged, and 1 was captured)

Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (5, of which 3 were destroyed and 2 were damaged)

Aircraft (6, of which 6 were destroyed)

Helicopters (24, of which 21 crashed, 2 were damaged, and 1 was captured)

Armored truck (1, of which 1 was destroyed)


Chechnya (41, of which 33 were destroyed and 8 were captured)

Tanks (26, of which 21 were destroyed and 5 were captured)

Armored fighting vehicles (5, of which 3 were destroyed and 2 were captured)

Infantry fighting vehicle (1, of which captured: 1)

Armored personnel carriers (7, of which 5 were destroyed and 2 were captured)

Command and communication vehicles (3, of which: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged, 1 captured)

Towed artillery (1, of which 1 was destroyed)

Self-propelled artillery (2, of which 2 were captured)

Multiple rocket launcher (1, of which 1 was captured)

Tactical rocket (1, of which captured: 1)

Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (1, of which 1 was destroyed)

Radar (1, of which destroyed: 1)

Aircraft (4, of which 3 were destroyed and 1 was captured)
  •  Multiple L-29 (although they were lost, they were excluded from the count because of their state and the lack of use)
  •  Multiple L-39  (although they were lost, they were excluded from the count because of their state and the lack of use)
  • 4 Tu-134 VIP transport: (1, Destroyed on the ground) (2 and 3, Destroyed on the ground) (1, Captured) (Operated by state-owned airline STIGL)

Helicopters (4, of which 4 were destroyed)

Special thanks to：Tarao Goo.

[1] Anatol Lieven: Chechnya. Tombstone of Russian Power. Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1999.
[2] Former Russia defense chief Grachev dies https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-grachev-death-idUSBRE88M0BB20120923
[3] Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The 2022 Russian Invasion Of Ukraine https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html
[4] Парад в Грозном / Чечня / Ичкерия https://youtu.be/QU6PEUaxCLE

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