Photo Gallery 'Normalizing the Situation' in Chechnya
Russia announced on Thursday that it was ending its military operation in the semi-autonomous republic of Chechnya. Here, Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov speaks to the press about the end of the "anti-terror operation." He declared April 16 a public holiday and said that the "nest of terrorism had been crushed."
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Children dressed in national costumes dance in Grozny during celebrations to mark the lifting of the security regime. Russia fought two wars against Chechen separatists since 1994.
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Kadyrov, seen here in a a 2007 photo, was appointed president after his father, President Akhmad Kadyrov, was assasinated in 2004.
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A poster shows then-Russian President Vladimir Putin shaking hands with the late president, who had previously been Chechnya's chief mufti.
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Ramzan Kadyrov in 2007 after the republic officially voted over 99 percent in favor of then-President Vladimir Putin's party in parliamentary elections.
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The Chechen capital Grozny was reduced to rubble as Russian forces crushed the rebel movement. This picture from 1995 shows a Chechen fighter taking cover from sniper fire. The conflict that first erupted in the predominantly Muslim republic claimed over 100,000 lives.
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A picture from 1994 shows Chechen women during an anti-Russian rally in front of the Chechen parliament building. Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee said on Thursday that the ending of the counter-terrorism operation was aimed at creating "conditions to further normalize the situation."
Read the article: Russia Claims Victory in Chechnya
