Originally Posted by TheSquealer

That is true actually, many Chechens already had significant Afghan experience. They were not however a solid, well trained, well organized fighting force. They had weapons from the Soviet Union and they were also freely buying weapons (including tanks) from Russians.

Uhmm... yeah. Russian WAS bombing the shit out of them... leveling Grozny and other cities completely with artillery and fighter planes. I mean fuck man,... the entire capital city was razed to the ground.

The world wasn't going apeshit because the world has no interests in the region. I have many many friends who were in Chechnya on contracts in the first war. Russia had to pay experienced soldiers and mercenaries to fight because the majority of the existing army was totally inept, undisciplined and unmotivated to fight.