Ethnic conflicts in the Soviet Union

This article lists the post-Soviet conflicts; the violent political and ethnic conflicts in the countries of the former Soviet Union following its dissolution in 1991.

Map showing Russian political and military influence or interference as of 2021

Some of these conflicts such as the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis or the 2013 Euromaidan protests in Ukraine were due to political crises in the successor states. Others involved separatist movements attempting to break away from one of the successor states.

According to Gordon M. Hahn, the post-Soviet conflicts led to the death of at least 196,000 people, excluding pogroms and interethnic violence, between 1990 and 2013.[1][page needed]

Some post-Soviet conflicts ended in a stalemate or without a peace treaty, and are referred to as frozen conflicts. This means that a number of former-Soviet states are left sovereignty over the entirety of their territory in name only. In reality, they do not exercise full control over areas still under the control of rebel factions. Rebel groups are essentially left independent over large chunks of the territories they claim. In many instances, they have created institutions which are similar to those of fully fledged independent states, albeit with little or no international recognition. Notable such cases include Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia; Artsakh on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia; Transnistria in land near to Moldova's eastern border with Ukraine; and the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic breakaway areas in Ukraine.[2]

Recognition of these states varies. Transnistria has not received recognition from any UN-member state, including Russia. Abkhazia and South Ossetia have received recognition from Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru and Syria. The Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic have received recognition from Russia, Syria, and North Korea.

Conflict	Parties	Start	End	Detail
Tajikistani Civil War	/ Tajikistan / Russia Uzbekistan Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan	United Tajik Opposition Jamiat-i Islami Afghanistan al-Qaeda Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan	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 Kulab 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.[3]
Tulip Revolution	Government	Opposition	22 March 2005	11 April 2005	Caused by the corruption and authoritarianism of Askar Akayev. Revolution resulted in overthrow of President Akayev and his government
Kyrgyz Revolution of 2010	Government	Opposition	6 April 2010	14 December 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.[4]
2010 South Kyrgyzstan ethnic clashes	Government	Ethnic Kyrgyz riotersEthnic Uzbek rioters	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.
Tajikistan insurgency	Tajikistan	United Tajik Opposition	19 September 2010	September 2015	Sporadic fighting in Tajikistan between rebel and government forces.
2016 Kazakh anti-land reform protests	Kazakhstan	Protesters	24 April 2016	21 May 2016	Massive, unauthorized protests that were held in Kazakhstan against the new amendments to the Land Code
2018–2020 Kazakh protests	Kazakhstan	Opposition	10 May 2018	1 March 2020	Protests across Kazakhstan that that led to the resignation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev
2020 Dungan–Kazakh ethnic clashes	Kazakhstan	Ethnic Kyrgyz riotersEthnic Dungans rioters	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.[5]
2020 Kyrgyz protests	Government	Opposition	5 October 2020	15 October 2020	Response to the 2020 Kyrgyz Parliamentary Election that was perceived by protestors as unfair, with allegations of vote rigging.
2021 Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan clashes	Kyrgyzstan	Tajikistan	28 April 2021	1 May 2021	Clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan over water dispute.[6][7]
2022 Kazakh unrest	Government CSTO	Opposition	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.
2022 Karakalpak protests	Uzbekistan	Karakalpakstan	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.[8]
2022 Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan clashes	Kyrgyzstan	Tajikistan	27 January 2022	present	Clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

The breakaway republics within the Caucasus region.

Conflict	Parties	Start	End	Detail
East Prigorodny conflict	North Ossetia-Alania Russia	Ingushetia Russia	30 October 1992	6 November 1992	Inter-ethnic conflict in the Eastern part of the Prigorodny district.
First Chechen War	Russia	Chechen Republic of Ichkeria	11 December 1994	31 August 1996	Russian troops invaded after Chechnya declared independence, but withdrew in 1996 leading to a de facto Chechen independence.
War of Dagestan	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.
Second Chechen War	Russia	Chechen Republic of Ichkeria	26 August 1999	31 May 2000	Russia restores federal control of Chechnya.
Insurgency in Chechnya	Russia	Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Caucasus Emirate	1 June 2000	16 April 2009	Separatist insurgency in Chechnya, Dagestan, and other parts of the North Caucasus region.
War in Ingushetia	Russia	Caucasus Emirate	21 July 2007	19 May 2015	Separatist insurgency in Ingushetia.
Low-level insurgency in the North Caucasus	Russia	Caucasus Emirate Islamic State	16 April 2009	19 December 2017	Separatist insurgency in Chechnya, Dagestan, and other parts of the North Caucasus region.

Conflict	Parties	Start	End	Detail
First Nagorno-Karabakh War	Azerbaijan	Republic of Artsakh Armenia	20 February 1988	12 May 1994	The separatist conflict leads to de facto independence of Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic).
1991–1992 South Ossetia War	Georgia	South Ossetia Supported by: Russia	5 January 1991	24 June 1992	The separatist conflict leads to South Ossetia's de facto independence.
Georgian Civil War	Pro-Gamsakhurdia forces	Pro-Shevardnadze forces Russia	22 December 1991	31 December 1993	First President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia deposed by the Miltiary Council, which asks former Soviet leader Eduard Shevardnadze to lead the country. Subsequent Zviadist revolt crushed with the help of Russian military.
War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)	Georgia	Abkhazia Russia	14 August 1992	27 September 1993	Abkhaz separatism leads to the de facto independence of Abkhazia from Georgia.
War in Abkhazia (1998)	Ethnic Georgian rebels	Abkhazia	18 May 1998	26 May 1998	Ethnic Georgians launched an insurgency against the Abkhazian secessionist government.
Pankisi Gorge crisis	Georgia	al-Qaeda Chechen rebels	2002	2004	An incursion by Al-Qaeda forces on behalf of Chechen rebels fighting in the North Caucasus. They were forced out in 2004 by Georgian forces with American and Russian backing.
Rose Revolution	Government	Opposition	3 November 2003	23 November 2003	A peaceful revolution overthrew President Eduard Shevardnadze in favor of Mikheil Saakashvili.
2004 Adjara crisis	Georgia Adjara loyalists	Adjara administration	23 November 2003	20 July 2004	Regional strongman Aslan Abashidze ousted from power in Adjara, the central government reimposes its authority on the region.
2006 Kodori crisis	Georgia	Monadire	22 July 2006	28 July 2006	Georgian forces drive a local rebellious militia out of the Kodori Gorge.
Russo-Georgian War	Russia South Ossetia Abkhazia	Georgia	8 August 2008	12 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.[9]
2010 Mardakert clashes	Azerbaijan	Armenia Republic of Artsakh	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.
2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict	Azerbaijan	Armenia Republic of Artsakh	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.
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.
Second Nagorno-Karabakh war	Azerbaijan	Armenia Republic of Artsakh	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.
2021–2022 Armenia–Azerbaijan border crisis	Azerbaijan	Armenia	12 May 2021	present	series of skirmishes along the Azerbaijan-Armenia border.

Conflict	Parties	Start	End	Detail
Transnistria War	Transnistria Russia Diplomatic support: Ukraine	Moldova Supported by: Romania	1 March 1992	21 July 1992	The Transnistria War started due to fear from its Russian and Ukrainian-majority population to a unification with Romania. Heavy fighting started 1 March 1992 after the political struggle. A ceasefire between Russian and Transnistrian forces and Moldovan forces has been in place since 1992, enforced by the presence of Russian forces in Transnistria.[10]
1993 Russian constitutional crisis	Pro-Yeltsin forces	Pro-Supreme Soviet forces	21 September 1993	4 October 1993	Political stand-off between the Russian president and the Russian parliament that was resolved by using military force.
Orange Revolution	Government	Opposition	22 November 2004	23 January 2005	Amid allegations of voter fraud in the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, supporters of candidate Viktor Yushchenko staged a peaceful civil uprising demanding a revote. The Supreme Court of Ukraine ultimately acceded to their demands and revoked the results, and Yushchenko won the resulting election.
Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity	Government	Opposition	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, but was fueled by the perception of widespread government corruption, abuse of power and violation of human rights in Ukraine. The protests escalated and led to the Revolution of Dignity, which toppled the Ukrainian government and the beginning of War in Donbass.
Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation	Russia Republic of Crimea	Ukraine Autonomous Republic of Crimea	20 February 2014	26 March 2014	In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity.[11]
War in Donbas	Russia Donetsk People's Republic Luhansk People's Republic	Ukraine	20 February 2014	24 February 2022	In March 2014, following the takeover of Crimea by pro-Russian separatists and Russian Armed Forces,[12] a referendum (not recognised by the new Ukrainian authorities)[13] was held on the issue of reunification with Russia.[14] Russia then annexed Crimea. Then violent protests of the Russian population began in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, which turned into a full-fledged war.
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine	Russia Donetsk People's Republic Luhansk People's Republic Supported by: Belarus	Ukraine Supported by: USA European Union NATO United Kingdom	24 February 2022	present	On 24 February 2022, the Russo-Ukrainian War escalated when Russian 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 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 and other countries from the Western world.

Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations
List of wars: 1990–2002
List of wars: 2003–present
Military history of the Russian Federation
Post-Soviet states
Second Cold War
Ethnic conflicts in the Soviet Union

^ Hahn, Gordon M. (2017). Ukraine Over the Edge: Russia, the West and the "New Cold War". McFarland. ISBN 9781476628752.
^ Rusif Huseynov. Ukraine: Towards a frozen future?: The Politicon, 11 November 2015
^ Tajikistan Civil War Global Security
^ Shakarian, Pietro A. (30 April 2018). "The Significance of Armenia's 'April Revolution' - The Nation" – via www.thenation.com. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
^ ВААЛЬ, ТАМАРА (2020-03-27). "25 человек задержали по подозрению в массовых беспорядках в Кордайском районе - Аналитический интернет-журнал Vласть". vlast.kz (in Russian). Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
^ "Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan forces exchange gunfire in worst border flareup in years | Eurasianet". eurasianet.org. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
^ Reuters Staff (29 April 2021). "Kyrgyz, Tajik security forces clash at border in water dispute". Reuters. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
^ BBC News (2022-07-01). "Uzbekistan Karakalpakstan: At least 18 killed in unrest over right to secede". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
^ "Statement by President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev". Russia's President web site. 2008-08-26. Archived from the original on 2 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
^ "Trans-Dniester profile - BBC News". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-06-18.
^ Simon Shuster (10 March 2014). "Putin's Man in Crimea Is Ukraine's Worst Nightmare". Time. Retrieved 8 March 2015. Before dawn on Feb. 27, at least two dozen heavily armed men stormed the Crimean parliament building and the nearby headquarters of the regional government, bringing with them a cache of assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades. A few hours later, Aksyonov walked into the parliament and, after a brief round of talks with the gunmen, began to gather a quorum of the chamber's lawmakers.
^ "Meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club". Kremlin.ru. 2014-10-24. Archived from the original on 2015-04-15. I will be frank; we used our Armed Forces to block Ukrainian units stationed in Crimea
^ "Treasury Designates Seven Individuals And One Entity Contributing To The Situation In Ukraine". US Treasury. 11 April 2014.
^ "Crimea applies to be part of Russian Federation after vote to leave Ukraine". The Guardian. 17 March 2014.