Russian Interior Ministry soldiers wearing body armor, hold Kalashnikov rifles near the Budyonnovsk hospital in1995
Two Russian Interior Ministry soldiers guard a closed Budyonnovsk street near the city hospital where 80 to 200 Chechen separatists took more than 1,000 staff and patients hostage for seven days in June of 1995. Chechen gunmen, led by Shamil Basayev, attacked the southern Russian town of Budyonnovsk (pop. 60,000) 70 miles north of Russia’s border with the de facto independent Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. After storming the main police station and city hall the rebels retreated to the city hospital where they took hostages, including 150 children and women with newborns. Hundreds of Russian soldiers surrounded the city hospital, attacking it several times during unsuccessful attempts to free the hostages. According to the Russian Government, 129 civilians died and 415 were injured during the siege of the town and hospital. Negotiations between Basayev and Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin led to the release of the hostages and Basayev with his group were allowed to travel back to Chechnya. Photo by Chuck Nacke
Size: 5000px × 3500px
Location: City Street, Boudyonnovsk, Stavropol Krai, Southern Russia
Photo credit: © Chuck Nacke / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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