The Russian army moved with ease in the wide open spaces of northern Chechnya and reached the Terek River on 5 October 1999 . On this day , a bus filled with refugees was reportedly hit by a Russian tank shell , killing at least 11 civilians ; two days later , Russian Su-24 fighter bombers dropped cluster bombs on the village of Elistanzhi , killing some 35 people . On 10 October 1999 , Maskhadov outlined a peace plan offering a crackdown on renegade warlords ; the offer was rejected by the Russian side . He also appealed to NATO to help end fighting between his forces and Russian troops , without effect
killing some 35 people
Elistanzhi cluster bomb attack
Second Chechen War