Second Chechen War
Aslan Alivitch Maskhadov, born 21 September, 1951, was the leader of the separatist movement in the Russian republic of Chechnya. He was credited by many with the Chechen victory in the First Chechen War, which secured temporary "de facto" independence for Chechnya. In January 1997, Maskhadov was elected President of Chechnya on a platform including demands for independence from Moscow. Following the start of the 
 in 1999, he returned to leading the guerrilla movement against the Russian army.
Chechen leader killed by Russian Special Forces