Chechnya covers about 6,000 square miles (15,500 square kilometers). It has about 400,000 people, although thousands more have fled the fighting. Chechens are Islamic. The country's capital and largest city is Groznyy (or Grozny).
In 1991, Chechnya declared independence from Russia. Russia sent troops to oppose independence but withdrew the troops within a few days. Conflict continued in Chechnya between supporters and opponents of independence. In 1994, Russia sent 40,000 troops to crush the independence movement. Thousands of civilians were killed, and bombs destroyed much of Groznyy. Russian forces took control of Chechnya's main cities, but the conflict continued. In 1996, a cease-fire ended the fighting. In 1997, a peace treaty formalized the truce.
In 1999, Islamic militants attempted to unite Chechnya and the neighboring republic of Dagestan. Russia invaded Chechnya to defeat the rebellion. Russian attacks again heavily damaged Chechnya's cities and killed many civilians. Russian forces gained control of Chechnya's main cities by mid-2000, but the militants refused to surrender.
In 2003, Russia attempted to impose a new government on Chechnya. Voters in Chechnya approved a new constitution that affirmed the region's ties to Russia, then elected a new president. But the Russian government helped write the constitution and disqualified presidential candidates who might have been able to defeat the candidate supported by Russia.