<P> The North Caucasus , a mountainous region that includes Chechnya , spans or lies close to important trade and communication routes between Russia and the Middle East , control of which have been fought over by various powers for millennia . Russia 's entry into the region followed Tsar Ivan the Terrible 's conquest of the Golden Horde 's Khanates of Kazan and Astrakhan in 1556 , initiating a long struggle for control of the North Caucasus routes with other contemporary powers including Persia , the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate . Internal divisions prevented Russia from effectively projecting its power into the region until the 18th century ; however , Russian - allied Cossacks began settling the North Caucasus lowlands following Ivan 's conquests , sparking tensions and occasional clashes with Chechens , who at this time were themselves increasingly settling the lowlands due to adverse climatic changes in their traditional mountain strongholds . </P>
<P> The North Caucasus , a mountainous region that includes Chechnya , spans or lies close to important trade and communication routes between Russia and the Middle East , control of which have been fought over by various powers for millennia . Russia 's entry into the region followed Tsar Ivan the Terrible 's conquest of the Golden Horde 's Khanates of Kazan and Astrakhan in 1556 , initiating a long struggle for control of the North Caucasus routes with other contemporary powers including Persia , the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate . Internal divisions prevented Russia from effectively projecting its power into the region until the 18th century ; however , Russian - allied Cossacks began settling the North Caucasus lowlands following Ivan 's conquests , sparking tensions and occasional clashes with Chechens , who at this time were themselves increasingly settling the lowlands due to adverse climatic changes in their traditional mountain strongholds . </P>
where is chechnya and why is it important to russia
where is chechnya and why is it important to russia
The North Caucasus , a mountainous region that includes Chechnya , spans or lies close to important trade and communication routes between Russia and the Middle East ,
The North Caucasus , a mountainous region that includes Chechnya , spans or lies close to important trade and communication routes between Russia and the Middle East ,