List of conflicts in territory of the former Soviet Union
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This article provides a list of conflicts that have occurred in the territory of the former Soviet Union. In December 1991, the dissolution of the Soviet Union resulted in the emergence of 15 independent countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
List
Central Asia
| Conflict | Belligerents | Start | End | Detail | Fatalities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tajikistani Civil War |
|
5 May 1992 | 27 June 1997 | Began when ethnic groups from the Gharm and Gorno-Badakhshan regions of Tajikistan, which were underrepresented in the ruling elite, rose up against the national government of President Rahmon Nabiyev, in which people from the Leninabad and Kulob regions dominated. The war ended with the signing of the General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan and the Moscow Protocol.[9] | 20,000[10]–150,000[11] killed | |
| Batken conflict |  Kyrgyzstan Russia (material support) Uzbekistan (military support) |
 Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan |
30 July 1999 | 27 September 1999 | Armed clashes between militants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and the Armed Forces of Kyrgyzstan | 1,182 killed |
| Andijan massacre | Government of Uzbekistan
|
13 May 2005 | Protest and government massacre in the city of Andijan in Uzbekistan | 187–1,500 killed | ||
| 2010 Kyrgyz Revolution | Government of Kyrgyzstan
|
 SDPK Respublika  A.M.S.P  Ar-Namys  Ata-Zhurt  United Kyrgyzstan |
6 April 2010 | 15 April 2010 | Also known as the People's April Revolution, the Melon Revolution or the April Events. Began with the ousting of Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev in the capital Bishkek. The violence ultimately led to the consolidation of a new parliamentary system in Kyrgyzstan.[12] | 118 killed |
| 2010 South Kyrgyzstan ethnic clashes | Kyrgyz provisional government Supported by: |
Kyrgyzstani Kyrgyz gangs
Other pro- Bakiyev forces
Kyrgyzstani Uzbeks
Uzbekistani Uzbek civilians1
|
19 May 2010 | June 2010 | Clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan, primarily in the cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad, in the aftermath of the ouster of former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev on April 7. | 393–893 killed |
| Insurgency in Gorno-Badakhshan (2010–2015) |  Tajikistan
|
 United Tajik Opposition
|
19 September 2010 | 1 September 2015 | Sporadic fighting in Tajikistan between rebel and government forces. | 191–206 killed |
| Zhanaozen massacre | Government of Kazakhstan | Oil workers | 16 December 2011 | 17 December 2011 | Labor protest and government massacre in the city of Zhanaozen in Kazakhstan | 14+ killed |
| 2020 Dungan–Kazakh ethnic clashes | Ethnic Dungans | Ethnic Kazakhs | 5 February 2020 | 8 February 2020 | Clashes between ethnic Kazakhs and ethnic Dungans (a Muslim group with Chinese origins) in the village of Masanchi within the Korday District of Kazakhstan.[32] | 11 killed[33] |
| 2020 Kyrgyz Revolution | Government of Kyrgyzstan
|
* Protesters
|
5 October 2020 | 15 October 2020 | Revolution caused by alleged electoral fraud in the October 2020 Kyrgyz parliamentary election, overnment corruption, government response to the COVID-19 pandemic and arrest and conviction of former president Almazbek Atambayev on corruption charges. | 1 killed |
| 2021 Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan clashes | Kyrgyzstan | Tajikistan | 28 April 2021 | 1 May 2021 | Clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan over water dispute.[36][37] | 45 killed |
| 2022 Kazakh unrest |  Government of Kazakhstan CSTO[n 1] | Kazakh opposition Protesters | 2 January 2022 | 11 January 2022 | Protests across Kazakhstan that were sparked by an abrupt increase of gas prices, but have escalated into general protests. Kazakhstan's government has requested CSTO assistance in quelling the protests. | 257 killed |
| 2022 Karakalpak protests |  Karakalpakstan Protesters | 1 July 2022 | 3 July 2022 | Over proposed amendments by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Constitution of Uzbekistan which would have ended Karakalpakstan's status as an autonomous region of Uzbekistan and right to secede from Uzbekistan via referendum. A day after protests had begun in the Karakalpak capital of Nukus, President Mirziyoyev withdrew the constitutional amendments. The Karakalpak government said that protesters had attempted to storm government buildings.[38] | 21 killed | |
| 2022 Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan clashes | Kyrgyzstan | Tajikistan Afghan mujahids[39][40][41] (per Kyrgyzstan) | 27 January 2022 | 20 September 2022 | Clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan | 146 killed |
| Afghanistan–Tajikistan border skirmishes |
|
Tajikistan National Resistance Front of AfghanistanOther anti-Taliban militants |
15 May 2022 | Present | Occasional skirmishes have occurred along the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border between the Taliban-led Afghan Armed Forces and Tajikistani Border Troops. | 8–10 killed |
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Caucasus
North Caucasus
| Conflict | Belligerents | Start | End | Detail | Fatalities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Prigorodny conflict |  North Ossetia Russian Federation |
 Ingush rebels | 30 October 1992 | 6 November 1992 | Inter-ethnic conflict in the Eastern part of the Prigorodny district. | 600 killed[42] |
| First Chechen War | Russian Government
|
 Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Foreign volunteers: |
11 December 1994 | 31 August 1996 | Russian troops invaded after Chechnya declared independence, but withdrew in 1996 leading to a de facto Chechen independence. | 46,500 killed[51] |
| War in Dagestan (1999) | Russia
|
Islamic Djamaat of Dagestan
|
7 August 1999 | 14 September 1999 | The Islamic International Brigade invaded the neighbouring Russian republic of Dagestan in support of the Shura of Dagestan separatist movement. | 2,775 killed |
| Second Chechen War | Russia
|
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (1999–2007)
|
7 August 1999 | 16 April 2009 | Russia restores federal control of Chechnya. | 20,500 killed[56] |
| Insurgency in Ingushetia | Russia
|
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (until October 2007)
|
21 July 2007 | 19 May 2015 | Separatist insurgency in Ingushetia. | 871 killed |
| Insurgency in the North Caucasus | Russia
|
 Caucasus Emirate(2009–17) List
|
16 April 2009 | 19 December 2017 | Separatist insurgency in Chechnya, Dagestan, and other parts of the North Caucasus region. | 3,500 killed |
| Low-level Islamic State insurgency in the North Caucasus |
|
20 December 2017 | Present | Ongoing terror activity of the Islamic State branch in the North Caucasus after the insurgency of the Caucasus Emirate. | 250+ killed | |
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South Caucasus
| Conflict | Belligerents | Start | End | Detail | Fatalities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Nagorno-Karabakh War |
Foreign groups: |
Foreign groups:
|
20 February 1988 | 12 May 1994 | The secessionist conflict leads to de facto independence of Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic). | 28,000–38,000 killed[85] |
| South Ossetia war (1991–1992) |  Georgia |
(1992) | 5 January 1991 | 24 June 1992 | The separatist conflict leads to South Ossetia's de facto independence from Georgia. | 1,000 killed[87] |
| Georgian Civil War |
Supported by: |
Pro-Shevardnadze forces
Supported by: |
22 December 1991 | 31 December 1993 | A civil war leads to the overthrow of the first President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia and his replacement with new President Eduard Shevardnadze. | 2,000 killed[90] |
| War in Abkhazia (1992–1993) | Georgia |
 Abkhazia  Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus |
14 August 1992 | 30 September 1993[91][e] | Abkhaz separatism leads to the de facto independence of Abkhazia from Georgia. | 10,000–30,000 killed[93] |
| Ganja Uprising |
|
 Azerbaijani Government APFP |
4 June 1993 | 15 June 1993 | A mutiny against Azerbaijani President Abulfaz Elchibey replaces him with Heydar Aliyev | Unknown |
| 1995 Azerbaijani coup attempt |  Special Purpose Police UnitTurkish putschists Supported by:  Nationalist Movement Party[94] |
Government of Azerbaijan
Supported by: |
13 March 1995 | 17 March 1995 | A failed attempt to reinstall former president Abulfaz Elchibey | 31 killed |
| War in Abkhazia (1998) | Georgian insurgents
|
Abkhazia |
18 May 1998 | 26 May 1998 | Ethnic Georgians in Abkhazia launched an insurgency against the Abkhazian secessionist government. | 100 killed[95] |
| 1998 Georgian attempted mutiny | Georgian Government | Mutineers from the Senaki Military Brigade Zviadists |
18 October 1998 | 19 October 1998 | An abortive mutiny led by pro-Gamsakhurdia officers from the Senaki Military Brigade to remove new President Eduard Shevardnadze from power. | 5 killed[96] |
| 2001 Kodori crisis | Chechen division under Gelayev Georgian guerrillas[97] |
Abkhazia
|
4 October 2001 | 18 October 2001 | Georgian guerrillas unsuccessfully try to regain control over Abkhazia with the help of Chechen fighters. | At least 40 killed[98] |
| Pankisi Gorge crisis | Georgia Supported by:  United States Russia |
Chechen militants Mujahideen in Chechnya Other jihadists |
November 2000 | October 2002[f] | An incursion by Al-Qaeda forces into Georgia on behalf of Chechen rebels fighting in the North Caucasus. They were forced out in 2004 by Georgian forces with American and Russian backing. | Unknown |
| 2004 South Ossetian clashes |  Georgia |
 South Ossetia Russia |
7 July 2004 | 5 November 2004 | Clashes between Georgian and South Ossetian troops result in several deaths. | 22 killed |
| 2006 Kodori crisis | Georgia
|
Monadire |
22 July 2006 | 28 July 2006 | Georgian police and special forces drive a local rebellious militia out of the Georgian-controlled Kodori Valley in Abkhazia. | 1 killed |
| Russo-Georgian War | Georgia |
1 August 2008 | 16 August 2008 | A war between Georgia on one side and Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other side confirms the de facto independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and leads to their recognition by Russia and Nicaragua.[100] | 500 killed[101] | |
| 2009 Georgian mutiny | Georgian Army Georgian Police |
Mutineers from the Mukhrovani Separate Tank Battalion | 5 May 2009 | 5 May 2009 | An alleged abortive mutiny by a Georgian Army tank battalion based in Mukhrovani village with a goal of removing President Saakashvili from power. | None killed |
| 2010 Mardakert clashes | Azerbaijan |
 Nagorno-Karabakh Armenia |
18 June 2010 | 1 September 2010 | Sporadic border war on the Armenian–Azerbaijan border and at the line of contact between the Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan. | 7–8 killed |
| 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict | Azerbaijan |
Artsakh Armenia |
1 April 2016 | 5 April 2016 | Armenian and Azerbaijani forces fight a four-day long conflict along the border of the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh. Azerbaijani forces make minor territorial gains, some of which are retaken by Armenian forces before the end of the conflict. | 400–1,600 killed |
| July 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes | Azerbaijan |
Armenia |
12 July 2020 | 16 July 2020 | Armenian and Azerbaijani forces engage in border clashes along the Tavush Province of Armenia and Tovuz District of Azerbaijan. The death of Azerbaijani major general Polad Hashimov sparks the July 2020 Azerbaijani protests. Turkey and Azerbaijan organize large-scale military exercises following the clashes, and tensions persist until the beginning of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War 2 months later. | 29–133 killed |
| Second Nagorno-Karabakh War | Azerbaijan Turkey (alleged by Armenia)[102][103][104] Syrian mercenaries[g][108][109] |
Artsakh Armenia
|
27 September 2020 | 10 November 2020 | Azerbaijan retakes most of the territories previously controlled by the Republic of Artsakh. Russian peacekeepers introduced into the remaining disputed area. | 7,000 killed[110] |
| Armenia–Azerbaijan border crisis | Azerbaijan |
Armenia |
12 May 2021 | Present | Border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia. | 353 killed |
| Blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh | Azerbaijan |
Russian peacekeepers
|
12 December 2022 | 30 September 2023 | Azerbaijan blockades the Republic of Artsakh. | Unknown |
| 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh | Azerbaijan[h] | Artsakh[i] | 19 September 2023 | 20 September 2023 | Azerbaijan launches an attack on the Republic of Artsakh after nine months of blockade. The Artsakh Defence Army disbands, the government of the Republic of Artsakh agrees to dissolve itself entirely by January 1, 2024, and almost the entire population of Artsakh flees to Armenia. | 200 killed[111] |
Eastern Europe
| Conflict | Belligerents | Start | End | Detail | Fatalities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gagauzia conflict |  Gagauz Republic |
 / Moldavian SSR (until 1991) Moldova (from 1991) |
12 November 1989 | 14 January 1995 | Ended in the reintegration of Gagauzia into Moldova as an autonomous region. | Unknown |
| Transnistria War | / Moldova[j]Supported by: Romania |
2 November 1990 | 21 July 1992 | Separatism in Transnistria leads to its de-facto secession from Moldova with Russian backing. | 1,000 killed | |
| 1993 Russian constitutional crisis | Presidential forces:
|
Parliamentary forces:
Anti-Yeltsin opposition:
Support: |
21 September 1993 | 4 October 1993 | Political stand-off between the Russian president and the Russian parliament that was resolved by using military force. | 147 killed |
| Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity |  Government of Ukraine
Pro-government groups
Parties
Supported by: |
 Anti-government protesters
|
21 November 2013 | 22 February 2014 | Euromaidan is the name given to civil unrest that started when the Ukrainian government cancelled an association agreement with the EU in favour of closer ties with Russia. The protests escalated and led to the Revolution of Dignity, which toppled the Ukrainian government. | 121 killed |
| Russian invasion of Crimea | 27 February 2014[note 4] | 26 March 2014 | In February 2014, Russia invaded Crimea. In March, following the takeover of Crimea by pro-Russian separatists and Russian Armed Forces,[157] a referendum (not recognised by the new Ukrainian authorities)[158] was held on the issue of reunification with Russia.[159] This took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity.[160] Russia then annexed Crimea on 18 March. | 3 killed | ||
| 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine |    Pro-Russian separatists Russia |
Ukraine |
23 February 2014 | 2 May 2014 | As a result of the revolution in Kyiv, a pro-Russian unrest in the eastern regions of the country escalated into mass protests and violence between those supporting and opposing the new authorities. In Crimea, the events served as a pretext for a Russian annexation of the region. In Donbas, the situation quickly escalated into a war. Protests in other regions included seizure of government buildings in Kharkiv and deadly clashes in Odesa. | Unknown |
| War in Donbas |
Donetsk People's Republic Luhansk People's Republic Russia |
12 April 2014 | 24 February 2022[l] | As a result of the unrest, a full-fledged war began in the Ukrainian Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, known collectively as Donbas. The separatist republics were proclaimed and captured a strip of land on the border with Russia. Major combat ended with the signing of the second Minsk agreements in early 2015, with a stalemate lasting until the start of the full-scale invasion by Russia of February 2022. | 14,000 killed[161] | |
| Russian invasion of Ukraine | Ukraine |
24 February 2022 | Present | On 24 February 2022, the War in Donbas escalated when Russian government forces began bombing Ukrainian cities. After the bombings, Russian troops launched an operation on Ukrainian soil and began sending in troops on Ukrainian territory, launching a 'full-scale' invasion. This invasion was supported militarily by the separatist Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic and non-militarily by Belarus. Ukraine received military aid from the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and other countries from the Western world. On 30 September 2022, Russia, amid an ongoing invasion, annexed four oblasts of Ukraine – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which were not fully under Russian control at the time. The annexation is the largest in Europe since World War II, surpassing Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea. | See fatalities | |
| 2023 Belgorod Oblast incursions | Russia |
 Russian opposition Belarusian militant groups Polish militant groups Chechen militant groups Ukraine (alleged by Russia, denied by Ukraine)[o] |
22 May 2023 | 17 December 2023 | Pro-Ukrainian armed rebels invasion of Russia | Unknown |
| Wagner Group rebellion | Russia
|
 PMC Wagner |
23 June 2023 | 24 June 2023 | Mutiny of Wagner PMC against the Russian government | 15–31 killed |
| March 2024 western Russia incursion | Russia |
Ukraine[166] Russian Opposition |
12 March 2024 | 7 April 2024 | Pro-Ukrainian Groups And Russian Opposition Groups Invading Western Russia In The Belgorod And Kursk Oblasts | Unknown (both sides casualties are highly inflated) |
| Kursk offensive (2024–2025) | Russia  North Korea[p] |
Ukraine |
6 August 2024 | 16 March 2025 | Ukrainian occupation of Kursk Oblast | Around 20,000-30,000 Killed and Wounded |
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See also
Notes
- Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) until 1991.
- Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (Soviet Armenia) until 1990 (renamed Republic of Armenia)/1991 (declared independence).
- See Russia's role in the conflict section for more details
- The International Crisis Behaviour Project at Duke University defines the crisis as having lasted from 27 July 2002, the date of an attack by Chechen separatists on Russian forces at Itum-Kale in Russia, to 7 October 2002, when Russia and Georgia agreed to joint patrols on their mutual border.[99] This period also included Russian airstrikes on Georgian territory, Georgia's most consequential security operation in the Gorge, and the final exit of Ruslan Gelayev. There had been an armed separatist presence in the Gorge since 1999, and Russia's forceful objections begun, at the latest, in November 2002. Russia's first coercive measures against Georgia took place the next month.
- See § Foreign involvement for more details.
- See § Foreign involvement for more details.
- Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova until 23 May 1991. Constituent republic of the Soviet Union until 27 August 1991.
- Transnistria is a separatist and internationally unrecognized de facto state, regarded as Moldovan territory by all United Nations members.
- War escalated as Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, however the term "war in Donbas" is not generally used for events occurring after the invasion started.
- The Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic were Russian puppet states, having declared their independence from Ukraine in May 2014. Several months into the invasion, Russia declared that it had formally annexed both entities in September 2022. They continue to exist as republics of Russia.
- See § Ukrainian involvement for more details.
- South Ossetia's status is disputed. It considers itself to be an independent state, but this is recognised by only a few other countries. The Georgian government and most of the world's other states consider South Ossetia de jure a part of Georgia's territory.
- The political status of Abkhazia is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Georgia in 1992, Abkhazia is formally recognised as an independent state by 5 UN member states (two other states previously recognised it but then withdrew their recognition), while the remainder of the international community recognizes it as de jure Georgian territory. Georgia continues to claim the area as its own territory, designating it as Russian-occupied territory.
- Supporters of Alexander Rutskoy, the Supreme Soviet and the Congress of People's Deputies frequently used those flags. The Russian tricolor itself only remained hoisted at the White House building (see video documentary Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine).
- There are "some contradictions and inherent problems" regarding the date on which the Russian operation began.[148] The Ukrainian Government maintains, and the European Court of Human Rights agrees, that Russia controlled Crimea from 27 February 2014,[149] when unmarked Russian special forces took control of its political institutions.[150] The Russian Government later made 27 February "Special Operations Forces Day".[151] In 2015, the Ukrainian parliament officially designated 20 February 2014 as "the beginning of the temporary occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia",[152] citing the date inscribed on the Russian medal "For the Return of Crimea".[153] In 2018, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that the earlier "start date" on the medal was due to a "technical misunderstanding".[154] President Putin stated in a film about the annexation that he ordered the operation to "restore" Crimea to Russia following an all-night emergency meeting on 22–23 February 2014.[148][155][156]
- Early November 2012 Communist Party party leader Petro Symonenko stated that his party will not co-operate with other parties in the new parliament elected in the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election.[146] Nevertheless, in at the time in parliament its parliamentary faction usually voted similarly to the Party of Regions parliamentary faction.[147]