The Second Chechen War was launched by the Russian Federation, starting 26

August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International

Brigade (IIB).
On 1 October Russian troops entered Chechnya.[17][18] The campaign ended the de
facto independence of theChechen Republic of Ichkeria and restored Russian
federal control over the territory. Although it is regarded by many as an internal
conflict within the Russian Federation, the war attracted a large number of foreign
fighters.
During the initial campaign, Russian military and pro-Russian Chechen paramilitary
forces faced Chechen separatists in open combat, and seized the Chechen
capital Grozny after a winter siege that lasted from late 1999 to the following
February 2000. Russia established direct rule of Chechnya in May 2000 and after
the full-scale offensive Chechen militant resistance throughout the North
Caucasus region continued to inflict heavy Russian casualties and challenge
Russian political control over Chechnya for several more years. Some Chechen
separatists also carried out attacks against civilians in Russia. These attacks, as well
as widespread human rights violations by Russian and separatist forces, drew
international condemnation.
In the summer of 2000, the Russian government transferred certain military
operations to pro-Russian forces. The military phase of the counter-terrorist
operations was terminated in April 2002, and the coordination of the field operations
were given to the FSB and then to the MVD in the summer of 2003.
As of 2009, Russia has severely disabled the Chechen separatist movement and
large-scale fighting has ceased. Russian army and interior ministry troops no longer
occupy the streets. The once-leveled city of Grozny has recently undergone massive
reconstruction efforts and much of the city and surrounding areas have been rebuilt
at a quick pace. However sporadic violence still exists throughout the North
Caucasus; occasional bombings and ambushes targeting federal troops and forces
of the regional governments in the area still occur.[19][20]
On 15 April 2009, the counter-terrorism operation in Chechnya was officially
ended.[1] As the main bulk of the army was withdrawn, the burden of dealing with the
ongoing low-level insurgency mainly fell on the shoulders of the local police force.

Three months later the exiled leader of the separatist government, Akhmed Zakayev,
called for a halt to armed resistance against the Chechen police force starting on 1
August and said he hoped that "starting with this day Chechens will never shoot at
each other".[21]
The exact death toll from this conflict is unknown. Unofficial estimates range from
25,000 to 50,000 dead or missing, mostly civilians in Chechnya. Russian casualties
are over 5,200 (official Russian casualty figures)[22]and are about 11,000 according to
the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers.[23]