Zachistka
{{short description|Russian military slang for armed patrols and house searches, often with human-rights abuses}}
Zachistka ({{lang-rus|зачистка}} {{IPA|ru|zɐˈt͡ɕistkə|}}, {{lit}} cleansing operation) is a Russian military term for "mopping-up" operations to cleanse a territory from enemy military forces. The term is also applied to mass force actions against civilian population in a certain area by military or other siloviks. They were frequently conducted in villages and included house to house searches. The term was widely used in the Second Chechen War. A number of zachistka operations became notorious for human rights violations by Russian forces, including ethnic cleansing and pillaging, and the term zachistka is used in English exclusively to refer to these violations, particularly in Chechnya and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[https://www.hrw.org/legacy/russian/editorials/chechnya/index.html Human Rights Watch]
In Chechnya
= Novye Aldi =
{{main article|Novye Aldi massacre}}
The Novye Aldi massacre was a massacre in which Russian federal forces summarily executed between 60 and 82 civilians in the Novye Aldi (Aldy) suburb of Grozny, in the course of a "mopping-up" operation conducted there on February 5, 2000. Numerous houses were also burned, civilian property was stolen in an organized manner and at least six women were raped.
= Alkhan-Kala =
{{main article|Alkhan-Kala operation}}
The Alkhan-Kala operation was a week-long military zachistka by the Russian Spetsnaz special forces in Alkhan-Kala, Chechnya, south-west of the capital Grozny, from June 22, 2001 to June 28, 2001. The operation resulted in a major Russian victory, including the death of Arbi Barayev, a high-ranking Chechen separatist warlord, Islamist, and organized crime figure.
= Tsotsin-Yurt =
{{main article|Tsotsin-Yurt operation}}
The Tsotsin-Yurt operation was a four-day zachistka by Russian Spetsnaz in Tsotsin-Yurt, Chechnya, starting on December 30, 2001. Officially, armed clashes broke out between Russian forces and Chechen separatists in the large village of Tsotsin-Yurt, south-east of Grozny. The outcome of the operation is disputed, and Russian troops were accused of widespread human rights violations.
= Borozdinovskaya =
{{main article|Borozdinovskaya operation}}
The Borozdinovskaya operation was a zachistka by members of the Special Battalion Vostok, an ethnic Chechen unit of the Spetsnaz GRU, on June 4, 2005, in the Avar ethnic minority village of Borozdinovskaya, near Chechnya's border with Dagestan. At least 12 residents, 11 of which were Avar, were killed or "disappeared". Representatives of the Russian federal authorities expressed outrage over the incident, and the commander of the unit responsible was convicted.
In Ukraine
= Bucha =
{{main article|Bucha massacre}}
After withdrawing from the village of Bucha outside of Kyiv, the Russian armed forces were reported to have systematically killed over 310 civilians. Over 40 victims were found in the street, shot in the head with their hands tied on their backs. Two mass graves, containing over 270 civilians were also found.{{Cite news |title=Bodies, rubble line the streets of Bucha following Russian retreat |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/02/bucha-bodies-russia-retreat-kyiv/ |access-date=2022-04-03 |issn=0190-8286}} In intercepted conversations, Russian soldiers referred to these operations involving hunting down people in lists, filtration, torture, and execution as zachistka ("cleansing").{{Cite web |title=How Russian Soldiers Ran a "Cleansing" Operation in Bucha, Ukraine |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/russian-soldiers-cleansing-operation-bucha-ukraine/ |access-date=2023-12-30 |website=FRONTLINE |language=en-US}}