Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov marked the 15th anniversary of the start of the First Chechen War by calling for the Russian North Caucasus republic to continue to move forward.
The first Chechen military campaign started on December 11, 1994, as Russian troops were deployed in the Russian North Caucasus republic "to establish constitutional order."
"Let history define who is to blame for the tragedy that we had to live through at the turn of the century. Let those events never repeat. I am sure the Chechen people will have enough wisdom and courage to prevent any forces from destroying the peaceful life we have built today," Kadyrov said in an address to the republic.
"Frightful memories of bomb strikes on towns and villages, of bloody events that took the lives of thousands of our compatriots - Chechens, Russians, Ingush, peaceful civilians and soldiers - have filled these 15 years," he said.
Kadyrov said he was convinced there are "many happy days, many creative, scientific and spiritual achievements" ahead for the republic and asked "the Almighty to bless [the nation] on its path of peaceful development."
Chechnya, which saw two separatist wars in the late 1990s and early 2000s, saw a fresh wave of violence over the summer, with shootouts and attacks on troops, police and other officials reported daily. The neighboring, mainly Muslim, regions of Russia have also been plagued by instability.
Kadyrov, a former separatist who fought against Russia in the First Chechen War, has pledged to end militancy in Chechnya and occasionally leads police operations. His father, Chechnya's first president, Akhmad Kadyrov, was assassinated in May 2004.
GROZNY, December 11 (RIA Novosti)
