Not Crimea, the North Caucasus (photo: RIA Novosti)
Russian news agencies marked the 15th anniversary of the Unified Group of Troops (Forces) — OGV(s) or ОГВ(с) — in the North Caucasus on September 23.
The OGV(s) was, and is, the inter-service headquarters established at Khankala, Chechnya to command all Russian “power” ministry (MOD, MVD, FSB) operations at the start of what became the second Chechen war in 1999.
The war that would bring Vladimir Putin to prominence and the presidency, and preoccupy him during his first years in power.
The ITAR-TASS headline proclaimed: “The OGV in the Caucasus has killed more than 10,000 fighters over 15 years.”
Fighters means insurgents or terrorists from Moscow’s perspective.
That’s a lot. On average, even through today, over 600 per year, or at least a couple every day. Earlier this year, a news headline read “Russian MVD has killed more than 350 fighters in 4 months.”
Six Killed in Makhachkala (photo: ITAR-TASS)
The body count isn’t the only metric.
The MVD noted that OGV(s) units have conducted more than 40,000 “special measures,” destroyed 5,000 bases and caches, confiscated 30,000 weapons, and disarmed 80,000 explosive devices.
The Hero of the Russian Federation has been awarded to 93 MVD servicemen in the OGV(s) (including 66 posthumously). More than 23,000 MVD troops have received orders and medals.
And the disparate North Caucasus insurgency still simmers.
Russian Defense Policy 