The News And Times

Mike Nova 2 · Google AI Review: 9/11 and the Second Chechen war 9/11 and the Second Chechen war Thursday September 17 th , 2026 at 10:53 AM 1 Share The relationship between the September 11 attacks and the Second Chechen War (1999–2009) is one of the most significant geopolitical pivots of the early 2000s. It transformed a localized, highly criticized post-Soviet conflict into a recognized front of the global "War on Terror". The connection between these two events manifest in two main ways: how 9/11 altered the geopolitical framing of the war, and how the war inadvertently shaped the 9/11 hijackers. 1. The Geopolitical Pivot: From "Brutal Suppression" to "War on Terror" Before September 11, 2001, Western governments and human rights organizations heavily criticized Russia’s military campaign in Chechnya. Vladimir Putin—who rose to power largely on his promise to crush the Chechen separatist movement—was widely condemned for using disproportionate fo...