Shatoy ambush
Encyclopedia
The Shatoy ambush was an April 16, 1996, attack by forces of an Arab
-born commander Ibn al-Khattab
near the town of Shatoy
in the southern mountains of Chechnya
, during the First Chechen War
.
n 2nd Battalion from the 245th Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR) and killed 53 servicemen and injured 52, according to the official Russian figures. The first reports by the officials spoked of only 26 killed and 51 wounded. According to the other sources, more than 70 to almost 100 to even 223 soldiers of the 245th MRR died in the ambush. A few civilians who were traveling with the convoy were also reportedly killed.
According to the second-hand account by the Polish
volunteer Mirosław Kuleba (aka Władysław Wilk/Mehmed Borz), Khattab's detachment of 43 men chose a "perfect ambush
spot" with a ravine
and a stream
on one side and a forested slope
on the other side of a serpentine mountain road: the rebels first let the Russian recon squad through and then detonated an IED
under the leading tank
; simultaneously, a volley of RPGs hit the unit's command vehicle, killing the Russian commander instantly, and the APC
at the end the column - after this, the Chechens opened fire on the rest of the Russian unit. Kuleba wrote that the three-hour attack burned 27 armoured vehicles and trucks in the convoy and just 12 out of 199 Russian soldiers survived "the slaughter", while the rebel losses were only three killed and six wounded.
According to the Russian book Chechenskiy Kapkan, up to 100 fighters ambushed the column of 30 Russian armoured vehicles, almost 100 soldiers were killed and "only eight escaped with their lives". According to the U.S. book The Wolves of Islam, the destroyed convoy numbered 50 vehicles (trucks, fuel tankers, APCs and a mine-clearing T-80
tank) and by Khattab's own count more than 200 soldiers were killed.
Pavel Grachev
to resign, while Russia suspended its limited troop withdrawal.
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
-born commander Ibn al-Khattab
Ibn al-Khattab
Samir Saleh Abdullah Al-Suwailem , more commonly known as Emir Khattab meaning Commander Khattab, or Leader Khattab, and also known as Habib Abdul Rahman, was a Muslim guerilla fighter and financier working with Chechen Mujahideen in the First Chechen War...
near the town of Shatoy
Shatoy
Shatoy or Shatoi is a village in the Chechen Republic, Russia. It is the administrative center of Shatoysky District. Population: 1,771 . It is the home village of underground rebel President Doku Umarov. Geographical location: ....
in the southern mountains of Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
, during the First Chechen War
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
.
Battle
The attack wrecked the column of the RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n 2nd Battalion from the 245th Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR) and killed 53 servicemen and injured 52, according to the official Russian figures. The first reports by the officials spoked of only 26 killed and 51 wounded. According to the other sources, more than 70 to almost 100 to even 223 soldiers of the 245th MRR died in the ambush. A few civilians who were traveling with the convoy were also reportedly killed.
According to the second-hand account by the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
volunteer Mirosław Kuleba (aka Władysław Wilk/Mehmed Borz), Khattab's detachment of 43 men chose a "perfect ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
spot" with a ravine
Ravine
A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep sides, on the order of twenty to...
and a stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
on one side and a forested slope
Slope
In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a line describes its steepness, incline, or grade. A higher slope value indicates a steeper incline....
on the other side of a serpentine mountain road: the rebels first let the Russian recon squad through and then detonated an IED
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
under the leading tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
; simultaneously, a volley of RPGs hit the unit's command vehicle, killing the Russian commander instantly, and the APC
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
at the end the column - after this, the Chechens opened fire on the rest of the Russian unit. Kuleba wrote that the three-hour attack burned 27 armoured vehicles and trucks in the convoy and just 12 out of 199 Russian soldiers survived "the slaughter", while the rebel losses were only three killed and six wounded.
According to the Russian book Chechenskiy Kapkan, up to 100 fighters ambushed the column of 30 Russian armoured vehicles, almost 100 soldiers were killed and "only eight escaped with their lives". According to the U.S. book The Wolves of Islam, the destroyed convoy numbered 50 vehicles (trucks, fuel tankers, APCs and a mine-clearing T-80
T-80
The T-80 is a main battle tank designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union. A development of the T-64, it entered service in 1976 and was the first production tank to be equipped with a gas turbine engine for main propulsion.the Swedish Stridsvagn 103 of 1971 used a gas turbine alongside...
tank) and by Khattab's own count more than 200 soldiers were killed.
Aftermath
A video of the ambush and its aftermath, widely distributed and celebrated in Chechnya, featured Khattab "walking triumphantly down a line of blackened Russian corpses", and gained him the early fame in Chechnya and a great notoriety in Russia. The images of carnage also caused a new calls for the Russia's defence ministerDefence minister
A defence minister is a person in a cabinet position in charge of a Ministry of Defence, which regulates the armed forces in some sovereign nations...
Pavel Grachev
Pavel Grachev
Pavel Sergeyevich Grachev , sometimes transliterated as Grachov, is a retired Russian Army General and the former Defence Minister of the Russian Federation; in 1988 he was declared the Hero of the Soviet Union...
to resign, while Russia suspended its limited troop withdrawal.
External links
- [ftp://ia300214.us.archive.org/3/items/Shatoi/shatoi.wmv Video of the ambush to download (scenes from the first 45 minutes)] (a YouTube post of the same video) Death of the 245th Regiment (report by Lev RokhlinLev RokhlinLev Yakovlevich Rokhlin was a Lieutenant-General in the Soviet and Russian armies.Rokhlin have reached the top of the Russian military, quickly rose through the ranks during and after the Soviet war in Afghanistan...
for the State DumaState DumaThe State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
)