The Chechen War has taught Russia valuable lessons, awakening the country and realizing that Russian tanks are not always invincible weapons
The Battle of Grozny of the Russian army in late 1994 to February 1995 is still considered the classic battle of the 21st century
a typical example in the curriculum of many armored forces in the world
In the battle of Grozny, the Russian army finally won
However, it was a very expensive victory, with the Russian army's damage far greater than the enemy's side
In December 1994, Russia assembled 60,000 troops around Grozny
Of these, 38,000 soldiers and a third of them entered the Chechen capital directly.
On the enemy side, the Chechen rebels totaled about 2,300 troops
Some Western data sources claim that the Russian opponent had no more than 5,000 fighter men
It seemed that this unequal battle would end quickly with a natural victory belonging to Russia
However, in fact, although the victory belonged to the Russians, this was not a successful battle
According to Russian statistics, after the battle ended 1,400 to 2,000 Russian soldiers were killed
and about 500 were missing, and 4,670 were injured
However, the loss of the Russian tank force is something worth mentioning
A total of 62 Russian main battle tanks were destroyed, along with 163 other armored vehicles were destroyed after rolling into Grozny
This damage was beyond the imagination of even the most pessimistic Russians
especially the Russian generals - who grew up under the Soviet Union with immortal pride in Moscow's tank power
Russian Pride was seriously damaged
The war in Grozny was a war in an urban environment - where Russian tanks and armored vehicles became amateurs for enemy guerrilla tactics
In the urban combat environment, the tanks were particularly vulnerable to rooftop hits
Even Russian armored vehicles and tanks could not counterattack against the enemy
because the firepower equipped on the vehicles could not rise up at a too great angle to attack the roof of a building
The Russian Infantry, accompanied by the main battle tank, was also vulnerable, due to the enemy being at a high point with a wide field of view
Russian troops on the ground fell into an impossible position in combat
Urban guerrilla tactics helped Chechen rebels inflict devastating blows on Russian forces
In the end, their resistance was defeated, but the price that the Russians had to pay was too high
The war in Chechnya is arguably the most expensive lesson for the Russian military since the disintegration of the Soviet Union
After the Chechen war, the Russian military must immediately initiate reform
However, so far, the Russian military has not had a chance to verify its military might in a similar battle