Editing First Chechen War (section)

===Growing Russian defeats and unpopularity in Russia===
[[File:Evstafiev-chechnya-handshake.jpg|thumb|A group of Chechen fighters.]]
On 6 March 1996, a group of [[Battle of Grozny (March 1996)|Chechen fighters infiltrated Grozny]] and launched a three-day surprise raid on the city, taking most of it and capturing caches of weapons and ammunition. During the battle, much of the Russian troops were wiped out, with most of them surrendering or routing. After two columns of Russian reinforcements were destroyed on the roads leading to the city, Russian troops eventually gave up on trying to reach the trapped soldiers in the city. Chechen fighters subsequently withdrew from the city on orders from the high command.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Akhmadov |first1=Ilyas |last2=Lanskoy |first2=Miriam |title=The Chechen Struggle: Independence Won and Lost |date=2010 |publisher=PALGRAVE MACMILLAN |page=64 }}</ref> In the same month in March, Chechen fighters and Russian federal troops clashed near the village of [[Samashki]]. The losses on the Russian side amounted to 28 killed and 116 wounded.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Гродненский |first1=Николай |title=Неоконченная война: история вооруженного конфликта в Чечне |url=https://history.wikireading.ru/73073 |access-date=2023-04-09 |archive-date=2024-09-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240906142636/https://history.wikireading.ru/73073 |url-status=live }}</ref> 

On April 16, a month after the initial conflict, Chechen fighters successfully carried out an [[Shatoy ambush|ambush near Shatoy]], wiping out an entire Russian armored column resulting in losses up to 220 soldiers killed in action. In another attack near [[Vedeno]], at least 28 Russian soldiers were killed in action.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010530184645/http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9604/01/russia_chechnya/ Russian fighting ceases in Chechnya; Skeptical troops comply with Yeltsin order] [[CNN]] </ref>

As military defeats and growing casualties made the war more and more unpopular in Russia, and as the 1996 presidential elections neared, [[Boris Yeltsin]]'s government sought a way out of the conflict. Although a Russian [[guided missile]] attack assassinated the [[President of Ichkeria|Chechen president]] [[Dzhokhar Dudayev]] on 21 April 1996. Yeltsin even officially declared "victory" in Grozny on 28 May 1996, after a new temporary ceasefire was signed with the Chechen [[acting president]] [[Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev]].<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9605/28/russia.chechnya/ Yeltsin declares Russian victory over Chechnya] CNN {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211122357/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9605/28/russia.chechnya/ |date=December 11, 2008 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.waynakh.com/eng/chechnya/history/ History of Chechnya] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130002537/http://www.waynakh.com/eng/chechnya/history/ |date=2012-01-30 }} WaYNaKH Online</ref> While the political leaders were discussing the ceasefire and peace negotiations, Russian forces continued to conduct combat operations. On 6 August 1996, three days before Yeltsin was to be inaugurated for his second term as Russian president and when most of the Russian troops were moved south due to what was planned as their final offensive against remaining mountainous Chechen strongholds, the Chechens subsequently launched another surprise attack on Grozny.