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273 
 
agreements with Russia. Moreover, in line, the Confederation’s Parliament adopted 
an appeal to the Russian Federal Assembly and to the Russian President and 
government and stressed that the multi-ethnic population of the Caucasus was 
against military confrontation between Russia and Chechnya, and against the 
invasion of Chechnya by Russian troops. Then, the session decided to convene an 
extraordinary congress of the peoples of the North Caucasus in Nalchik or Maykop 
on 10 December to discuss ways of rendering assistance to Chechnya.
655
 
On 6 December, a meeting was held between Pavel Grachev, Russian 
Defense minister, and Dudayev in Mozdok, where both parties agreed to seek a 
peaceful solution to conflict.
656
 However, while Grachev was trying to make peace, 
after a meeting of the Russian Security Council on 9 December, Yeltsin ordered his 
government to restore order and disarm all armed factions in Chechnya.
657
 
In order to implement Yeltsin’s decree, troops of the Russian Federation 
Defense and Interior ministries, moving in three columns entered the Chechen 
territory on 11 December.
658
 
 
Meantime, the Confederation convened the extraordinary congress to 
discuss the situation in the North Caucasus, specifically in Chechnya in Nalchik on 
10-11 December 1994. At the end of the Congress, first of all, in order to meet the 
representatives of the power ministries (defense, counterintelligence, and interior) 
                                                 
655
 “Confederation of Caucasian Peoples pledges help for Chechnya if Russians invade,” SWB 
SU/2171, B/6, 6 December 1994. 
656
 “Grachev meets Dudayev: talks deemed successful,” SWB SU/2173, B/3-4, 8 December 1994. 
657
 “Yeltsin orders Russian government to disarm Chechen groupings,” SWB SU/2176, B/1, 12 
December 1994. 
658
 “Russian troops enter Chechnya,” SWB SU/2176, B/1-2, 12 December 1994. 

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of the Russian Federation in Vladikavkaz, a delegation was formed.
 659
 Then, 
another delegation, which includes around 500 people, has been formed. This 
delegation was intended to go to Grozny to form a human chain around the town in 
order to avert a tragic development of events and to defend the city against the 
Russian invasion.
660
 
Moreover, Congress sent telegrams to the President, chairmen of the 
Federation Council and the State Duma, in which it demanded that the talks 
processes should continue and that pressure by force should be stopped. In a 
special statement, it was pointed out that “unless the tragic development of events 
and the use of force halted, the peoples of the Caucasus would be called upon to 
leave the Federation Treaty of the Russian Federation.”
661
 Likewise, in the appeals 
to the leaders of the North Osetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia 
the Confederation demanded to hinder the movement of Russian troops towards 
Chechnya. Moreover the Congress decided to set up an operational headquarters to 
coordinate the activities of the Mountaineers in entire North Caucasus. 
 
The Confederation with its all forces prepared itself to a ‘war’ with Russia 
and Ali Aliyev, head of the Confederation’s parliament declared that in order to 
coordinate the activities of the Confederation’s troops on the spot, the headquarters 
                                                 
659
 This delegation arrived in Vladikavkaz on 13 December, before the talks between the Chechens 
and Russians begin and handed proposals on reaching a settlement to the Russian delegation. See, 
“Assaults on Groznyy threaten Chechen talks; opposition excluded,” SWB SU/2178, B/7, 14 
December 1994. 
660
 Nevertheless, this project was failed because of the lack of support of the peoples of the North 
Caucasus. See, “ITAR-TASS reports “human chain” to block NC road a failure,” SWB SU/2185, 
B/4, 22 December 1994. 
661
 “Peoples of Caucasus threaten to leave Federation Treaty over Chechnya,” SWB SU/2177, B/11-
12, 13 December 1994. 

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275 
 
of the Confederation would move from Sukhum to Grozny.
662
 Then, on 14 
December 1994, the Confederation of the Caucasian Peoples announced the 
beginning of the mobilization of the volunteers to aid Grozny. Ali Aliyev, signed 
the instructions to the members of the Confederation where he asked the formation 
of mobilization centers in Sukhum (Abkhazia), Lazarevo (Krasnodar territory), 
Maykop (Adygeya), Cherkessk (Karachay-Cherkessia), Vladikavkaz (North 
Osetia), Nazran (Ingushetia), Makhachkala (Dagestan) and Nalchik (Kabarda-
Balkaria). In addition, operational centers were to be set up in Nalchik and Grozny 
to coordinate the actions of volunteers. Amin Zekhov, the Vice-President of the 
Confederation from Adygea (a member of the local parliament also), charged with 
the coordination of these operational centers.
663
 
 
In response, the Russian government issued a statement and pointed out that 
these activities of the Confederation were illegal and formation of these 
‘mobilization centers’ to recruit volunteers to fight for Chechnya in the Chechen 
Republic and other areas of the Northern Caucasus should not be not allowed. The 
statement stressed that the mobilization for active military service comes within the 
exclusive jurisdiction of the Russian President.
664
 
Moreover, beyond the Russian protest, this decree for the mobilization of 
the volunteers to fight in Chechnya resulted in a split among the Confederation 
itself. The decision was signed by the head of the Confederation Parliament, Ali 
                                                 
662
 “Confederation of Caucasian Peoples plans move to Groznyy,” SWB SU/2179, B/16, 15 
December. 
663
 “Confederation of Caucasian Peoples begins mobilization of volunteers,” SWB SU/2180, B/9-10, 
16 December 1994. 

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