2004 Grozny raid

{{expand Russian|date=May 2023|topic=hist}}

{{Infobox military conflict

|conflict=2004 raid on Grozny

|image=

|caption=

|partof=Second Chechen War

|place=Grozny, Chechnya

|date=August 21–22, 2004

|result= {{ublist|Russian victory}}

• Chechen militants pushed back into the forests

|combatant1={{flag|Russia}}

• {{flag|Chechnya}}

|combatant2=22px Chechen separatists

|commander1=22px Movladi Baisarov and others

|commander2=22px Doku Umarov and others

|strength1=Several thousand

|strength2=250–400

|casualties1=At least 32 policemen and militiamen and 5 soldiers killed

|casualties2=At least 20 fighters killed

|casualties3=At least 13 civilians killed

|campaign=

}}

{{Campaignbox Second Chechen War (guerilla phase)}}

2004 raid on Grozny was a series of overnight attacks in central Grozny, capital of Chechnya. It was carried out by Chechen insurgents.{{Cite book|last=Pedraja|first=René De La|title=The Russian Military Resurgence: Post-Soviet Decline and Rebuilding, 1992-2018|publisher=McFarland|year=2018|isbn=978-1-4766-6991-5|location=Jefferson, NC|pages=164}}

The assassination of the Chechnyan president Akhmad Kadyrov on May 9, 2004, is seen as the beginning of the offensive and was followed by a major attack carried out a month after rebels captured arms depot in the capital of the Ingushetia region, leaving with 200,000 weapons and a trove of ammunition.{{Cite book|last=Van Brunschot|first=Erin Gibbs|title=Risk Balance and Security|last2=Kennedy|first2=Leslie W.|publisher=SAGE|year=2008|isbn=978-1-4522-3833-3|location=Thousand Oaks, CA|pages=119}} According to estimates of the investigation group, 250-400 fighters entered Grozny on August 21, established their own roadblocks, and simultaneously attacked a number of polling places and other targets. According to law enforcement sources, this attack killed 58 members of the police and pro-Moscow militia and five federal soldiers. More than a dozen civilians were also killed.[http://www.memo.ru/eng/memhrc/texts/4groz-at.shtml Armed Raid on Grozny, August 21, 2004] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070417233522/http://www.memo.ru/eng/memhrc/texts/4groz-at.shtml |date=April 17, 2007 }} Memorial

The Grozny raid was also part of the series of attacks that also included targets in Russia. After the major offensive at Grozny, Chechen women suicide bombers successfully blew two passenger airliners, killing 90 passengers.