Battle of Hill 776

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Battle of Hill 776
Part of Second Chechen War
A Chechen fighter stands over Russian paratroopers killed in action on Hill 776
Date February 29-March 1, 2000 Location Near Ulus-Kert and Selmentauzen, Chechnya Result Chechen victory
Belligerents
VDV and Spetsnaz	Chechen separatists Foreign fighters
Commanders
Mark Yevtukhin † and others	Ibn al-Khattab, Abu al-Walid
Strength
More than 90	1,000-2,500
Casualties and losses
84 killed and 4 injured	Upproximately 700 killed

v • d • e Second Chechen War (1999-2000 Russian offensive) Grozny - Hill 776 - Komsomolskoye - OMON - Zhani-Vedeno

The Battle of Hill 776, also known as the Battle of Ulus-Kert, was a controversial battle in the Second Chechen War during the fierce fighting over the control of the Argun Gorge. An isolated 90-men 6th Company 76th Guards Airborne Division from the city of Pskov was wiped out despite desperate attempts to rescue it, leaving only six survivors on the Russian side.

Contents 1 Controversies 2 Aftermath 3 In popular culture 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Controversies

Uncertainty continues to surround many aspects of the engagement, including how many casualties the Russians themselves inflicted and how much, if any, close air support they were provided. The battle began just hours after the Russian Defence Minister, Marshal Igor Sergeyev, had assured his government that the Chechen war was over.^[1] According to The Jamestown Foundation, "the Russian military lost a unique chance to destroy the bulk of the Chechen guerillas and to prevent the beginning of the rebel war in the republic."^[2]

Russia's high commanders, including Marshal Sergeyev,^[1] Russian Airborne Troops (VDV) commander General Georgy Shpak,^[3] and commander of federal forces in Chechnya General Gennady Troshev,^[4] initially insisted only 31 men died in the battle. Vladimir Putin's spokesman on Chechnya, Sergei Yastrzhembsky, also falsely claimed 31 killed were "the total losses of that company for several days".^[5] The loss of the company came a week after 25 men from Pskov were killed in an another battle in Chechnya.^[2] The losses of the other Russian units operating in area were never disclosed.

In the first days after the battle, Russian commanders said 1,000 Chechen fighters were involved.^[4] Later, when the higher federal death toll was admitted, they revised this figure upwards to up to 2,500.^[6] According to the article in Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star), official newspaper of the Russian Ministry of Defence, Chechen casualties in the area included approximately 400 dead, including 200 found on the Hill 776.^[7] As of 2008, the official figure is at least 700 rebels killed.^[8][9] Approximately 370 rebel bodies were found at the scene, as most, especially those of Arab decent, were evacuated on the orders of Khattab. Pain killers and other drugs were also found among the rebel bodies, who used them in the final waves of assult on the Russian positions.

[edit] Aftermath

Partially owing to these points of controversy, the battle has been seen in Russia in two ways: firstly, as a defeat for the Russian military, and secondly, as a glorious last stand made by the paratroopers, confirming the VDV's reputation as an elite force in the same way that the Battle of Camarón did for the French Foreign Legion, and the events were quickly enshrined in heroic myth.

All 13 officers and nine enlisted men of the doomed company received the country's highest medal and honorary title of Hero of the Russian Federation, while another 63 received the Order of Courage.^[8] In April 2001, President of Russia Vladimir Putin visited the place of the battle during a quick trip to Chechnya.^[10]

On February 22, 2008 (day before Russia's Defender of the Fatherland Day), a street in the Chechen capital Grozny was officially renamed as "84 Pskov Paratroopers Street",^[9] sparking further controversies.^[8][11][12]

[edit] In popular culture

There were several Russian government-sponsored productions loosely based on these events, including a 2004 television series, a 2006 four-part television film The Storm Gate,^[13] and a theatrical musical Warriors of Spirit.^[14]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Chechen photos of the aftermath Kavkaz Center
• Hill 776 Russian documentary on the battle featuring commentary by the few survivors