Armed conflicts and wars involving Russia since 1991
For many years, Russian propaganda has been promoting the narrative that Russia is not attacking, but merely ‘defending’ or ‘liberating’. At the same time, armed conflicts involving the Russian Federation since 1991 have been accompanied by an escalation of hostilities, loss of life, destruction and protracted political crises.
The conflict in Transnistria
The armed conflict in Transnistria has been ongoing since November 1990.
During the hostilities, the Republic of Moldova lost 286 people, whilst the unrecognised ‘Transnistrian Moldovan Republic’ lost 826 people, 310 of whom were civilians.
Russia’s 14th Guards Army, under the command of Alexander Lebed, lost 21 soldiers and three officers.
The international community recognises the Transnistrian region as part of Moldova, but Chisinau does not control this territory.
After the war, Transnistria became an unrecognised territory facing international isolation and a ruined economy.
South Ossetia and Abkhazia
During the conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russia supplied weapons to various parties to the conflict.
In South Ossetia, hostilities lasted from December 1991 to January 1993. As a result of the fighting, over 2,000 volunteers from the Caucasus republics were killed, and a further 2,500 were wounded.
The Georgian side lost around 169 soldiers, with 947 wounded. Among Georgia’s civilian population, 224 people were killed.
In the war in Abkhazia, which lasted from August 1992 to September 1993, Russia deployed 1,800 troops, of whom 73 were killed.
Around 16,000 people were killed during the war, and up to 250,000 became refugees.
After the conflict ended, Russia recognised Abkhazia’s independence and established diplomatic relations with the unrecognised republic.
The Yugoslav Wars
From 1992 to 2003, Russian peacekeepers served as part of the UN forces in Yugoslavia.
In 1999, around 4,000 Russian peacekeepers were deployed to Kosovo.
Russia suffered 12 casualties.
Civil War in Tajikistan
The civil war in Tajikistan lasted from May 1992 to June 1997.
33,600 Russian security personnel took part in the conflict. 302 people were killed, including 104 border guards.
Casualties on both sides of the conflict exceeded 60,000.
By the end of the war, Tajikistan found itself in a state of deep economic and social crisis, and around 1.2 million people had become refugees.
The First Chechen War
The First Chechen War lasted from December 1994 to August 1996.
According to official figures, Russia lost 4,379 soldiers killed in action, 1,906 went missing, and a further 19,794 were wounded.
The Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers of Russia estimated the losses at more than 14,000 dead and missing.
Chechen losses are estimated at 10–15,000 people.
The number of civilian deaths in Chechnya is estimated at around 40,000.
The Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War lasted from 1999 to 2009.
During this period, around 7,400 Russian security personnel were killed, including soldiers from the army, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the GRU and the FSB.
Casualties on the Chechen side are estimated at over 14,000 people.
The number of civilian deaths in Chechnya is estimated at more than 50,000.
The 2008 Russo-Georgian War
On 8 August 2008, Russian troops began an invasion of Georgia from the territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Over the course of five days, the Russian air force carried out over 100 strikes on Georgian cities.
During the six days of the war, 170 Russian soldiers and mercenaries were killed.
The Georgian side lost 410 military personnel and 14 police officers.
Over 118,000 people became refugees.
The war in Syria
Russia launched a military operation in Syria in September 2015.
Over 68,500 Russian servicemen took part in the fighting.
According to various estimates, Russia lost up to 283 personnel, as well as 19 aircraft and helicopters.
The war in Syria has claimed the lives of nearly half a million civilians, and over 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
The Second Karabakh War
The Second Karabakh War began in November 2020.
During 44 days of fighting, around 7,000 military personnel and over 160 civilians were killed.
Following the conclusion of the agreement, Russia deployed around 2,000 troops, 90 armoured personnel carriers and 370 pieces of military equipment to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Events in Kazakhstan
In January 2022, Russia deployed 1,480 airborne troops to Kazakhstan.
The troops were deployed following a request from the President of Kazakhstan amid protests in the country.
The Russian-Ukrainian war
In the spring of 2014, Russia occupied Crimea and supported the creation of pseudo-republics in eastern Ukraine.
This was followed by the outbreak of war in Donbas.
Annexation of Crimea
Around 25,000 Russian troops took part in the annexation of Crimea.
According to official figures, there were no casualties among Russian military personnel.
The number of internally displaced persons from Crimea is officially estimated at around 49,000.
The war in Donbas
Ukraine’s losses in the war in Donbas between 2014 and 2021 exceeded 13,000 dead and over 30,000 wounded.
According to UN data, as of 2019, 5,650 militants in the ORDLO had been killed, with a further 12,500–13,500 wounded.
