Galashki ambush

Galashki ambush
Part of Second Chechen War
Date May 11, 2000 Location Near Galashki, Ingushetia Result Chechen victory
Belligerents
Russia	Ichkeria
Commanders and leaders
Vitali Plakhotny †[1]	Ruslan Khuchbarov[2]
Strength
Officially 22[3]	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Officially 18 killed, 3 wounded, 1 missing[3]	Unknown

Galashki ambush took place of May 11, 2000, when the separatist militants from the group of Shamil Basayev, led by a Galashki native Ruslan Khuchbarov, attacked and destroyed a convoy of the Russian Interior Ministry paramilitary forces in the Republic of Ingushetia. The incident was the first major act of violence linked to the Second Chechen War in Ingushetia and the first major rebel raid outside the neighbouring Chechnya since war began in 1999.

According to the Russian sources, in the convoy there were 22 Internal Troops servicemen from Altai Krai, returning aboard two military trucks to Vladikavkaz, capital city of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, having completed a tour of duty in Ingushetia. At about 12 am, at a highway near the village of Galashki, a group of rebels located in the woods overlooking the road suddenly opened fire on them with grenade launchers and machine guns (some sources also mention mortar and sniper fire), disabling the first truck and then quickly obliterating the whole convoy. Following their attack, the rebels managed to escape the pursuit and vanished into the forest near the village of Bamut in Chechnya.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]}

According to the Chechen separatist website Kavkaz Center, three heavy trucks and two BTR armored vehicles were destroyed, while "not less than 40" Russian soldiers were killed by an unspecified unit of fighters from the Southwestern Front of the Chechen Armed Forces and a group of Caucasian volunteers.^[8]

References

1. Список военнослужащих, погибших в Дагестане и Чечне начиная с августа 1999 года (Russian)
2. Head Terrorist “The Colonel” Not Found among the Dead, Kommersant, Sep. 10, 2004
3. Rebels Destroy a Convoy Outside Chechnya, New York Times, May 12, 2000
4. Russian convoy hit by rebels, BBC News, 11 May 2000
5. Chechens cross border to kill troops troops, The Guardian, May 12, 2000
6. 18 Troops Killed in Ingushetia Ambush, The Moscow Times, 12 May 2000
7. Chechen Rebels' Ambush Kills 18 Russian Troops In Neighboring Republic, Chicago Tribune, May 12, 2000
8. Russian column attacked near Galashki, Kavkaz Center, May 11th, 2000 (mirror)