After a declaration of independence and the seizure of military assets located in the self-proclaimed Republic of Ichkeria, Chechen influence in the Northern Caucuses region was rapidly growing. By 1994 the Russian leadership became very concerned about the situation when, in addition to the other issues, Dzhokhar Dudaev took control of the oil and gas pipelines. After a series of unsuccessful attempts by Yeltsin and his government to reshuffle the situation it was decided to launch a limited armed action targeted upon the overthrow Dudaev at the hands of Russian-sponsored opposition. The opposition eventually failed and a large military operation by Russian forces was launched on 9 December 1994.

From the first days, Russian troops, totally unprepared for the tough resistance encountered found themselves in a bloody fight against Dudaev’s well-trained and heavily-armed militants. Grozny was the major objective as the Russian command considered that taking over the city would break Chechen resistance at once. To pave the way to the city the Russians had to secure Khankala airfield as it was the major aerial hub of the area. The fight for Khankala became the first major engagement between Russian and Chechen forces.

On 30 December 1994, Russian forces received orders to enter Grozny and take control of key objectives, eliminating the opposition. In the second half of 31 December, Russian armoured convoys started to enter the city from four directions, what was to come next became the most horrible night in modern Russian military history.

Postage and Packing Charges

We endeavor to keep our carriage charges as low as possible.

We dispatch using Royal Mail or a courier company, depending on the weight and value of your order. We are unable to deliver to PO Boxes in the UK and abroad. Please ensure we have an up to date contact number and email address so that Royal Mail or a courier company can send updates on your delivery.

Please note that our standard delivery charges are for titles which are currently available. Forthcoming titles will be dispatched when available, postage charged as at the date of despatch.

UK STANDARD DELIVERY

Once items are placed in your basket, the website will calculate the delivery charge for your order. A standard delivery charge is applied to the majority of UK post codes, but remote areas and islands may incur a higher charge. We aim to deliver your order within 5-7 days, delivery times stated are an indication only, we often find deliveries are much quicker than estimated.

INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY

Once items are placed in your basket, the website will calculate the delivery charge for your order, dependent on country, and any surcharges we would be charged within the UK at the point of despatch. This does not include any charges made in the country of delivery at the time of delivery.  We aim to deliver your order within the delivery times stated, Europe 7-10 days, Worldwide, 15-20 days, these are provided as an indication only, we often find deliveries are much quicker than estimated.

Delivery times quoted are provide by our delivery partners and are as an indication only. These times can vary from country to country and dependent on prevailing conditions that a shipment may encounter on its journey to you.