Dzhokhar Dudayev
Dzhokhar Musayevich Dudayev (15 February 1944 – 21 April 1996) was a Chechen politician, statesman and military leader of the 1990s Chechen Independence movement from Russia. He served as the first president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from 1991 until his assassination in 1996. Previously he had been a Major General of Aviation in the Soviet Armed Forces.
Dzhokhar Dudaev | |
|---|---|
Джохар Дудаев | |
Dudayev in 1991 | |
| 1st President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria | |
| In office 1 November 1991 – 21 April 1996 | |
| Vice President | Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev (acting) |
| Prime Minister of Ichkeria | |
| In office 9 November 1991 – 21 April 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 February 1944 Yalkhoroy, Chechen-Ingush ASSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 21 April 1996 (aged 52) Gekhi-Chu, Chechen Republic of Ichkeria |
| Manner of death | Assassination by guided missile |
| Nationality | Chechen |
| Political party | CPSU (1968–1990) Independent (1990–1996) |
| Other political affiliations | NCChP (1991–1996) |
| Spouse | Alla Dudayeva |
| Children |
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| Profession | Military aviator |
| Signature | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union Chechnya |
| Branch/service | Soviet Air Forces Armed Forces of Ichkeria |
| Years of service | 1962–1990 1991–1996 |
| Rank | Major general |
| Commands | 326th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division (1987–1991) All (supreme commander, 1991–1996) |
| Battles/wars | Soviet-Afghan War First Chechen War X |
Dzhokhar and his family, along with the entire Chechen nation, had been deported to Central Asia in 1944 by the Soviet regime in a case of genocide as part of a Soviet ethnic cleansing program that affected several million members of ethnic minorities in the Soviet Union between the 1930s and the 1950s. His family was allowed to return to his native Chechnya in 1956, after Stalin’s death. From 1962 he served in the Soviet Air Force, reaching the rank of Major General. He commanded strategic nuclear bomber aircraft divisions located in Poltava and Tartu. For his merits, he was awarded several state orders of the USSR, most notably the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of the Red Star.
In 1991, Dudayev refused orders from Moscow to suppress Estonia's drive for independence and subsequently resigned from the Soviet Armed Forces before returning to Chechnya. A number of streets, squares and alleys in various countries are named after him, such as in Ukraine, Turkey, Poland, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania and Latvia.