Notice we didn’t actually do anything when Putin went in and effed Chechnya in the Second Chechen War.
On the other hand, Chechnya achieved a kind of independence during the First Chechen War. This was back when Yelsten was president (and he had, shall we say, some weak spots). This brief period of independence is why I used the word “maybe”. Why didn’t you know about this brief period of independence? Does Putin not allow you to know about the history of your country?
Those who don’t know much about Chechnya, might think they would have been satisfied with their victory. But, no, not the Chechens. They’re not really renown for their brains. Instead of being satisfied with their victory, Chechnya tried to export its revolution to Dagestan and also committed acts of terrorism against Russian civilians in Moscow and against Russian school children in a rural town. Did they think the Russians would let these attacks on Russia itself go unpunished?
So, yeah, maybe Putin was a bit ruthless during the Second Chechen War, and some people registered complaints, but nobody complained much. You got Chechnya back and they’re again your problem.
You seem to think I’m in Russia. I’m in Australia. I know about the Chechyna conflict. Regardless, it is no more a vassal than Hawaii or Alaska. I wonder how the U.S would deal with Hawaii if an armed insurrection, followed by a declaration of independence by native Hawaiians occured. Hmmm