On January 9 , 1996 , a force of about 200 Chechen guerrillas led by Salman Raduyev , calling themselves Lone Wolf and allegedly acting on orders by Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudayev ( although Dudayev would later deny it ) , launched a raid similar to the one triggering the Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis . The city of Kizlyar in the neighbouring republic of Dagestan , the site of the first Imperial Russian fort in the region ( and many historical battles ) , was chosen as the target due to its proximity and easy access of two miles from the Chechen border across flat terrain . The guerrillas began the raid with a nighttime assault on a military airbase outside Kizlyar , where they destroyed at least two helicopters and killed 33 servicemen , before withdrawing
Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis
Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis
Kizlyar-Pervomayskoye hostage crisis