I really don't know is there any sense to speak with Kuujis but I will try, I think you don't know nothing about Chechnya, maybe a little that you read in wiki. First of all I blame president Eltsin that he sent people on that war in Chechen. I think that he was a clown. Second Dudaev took by force state building and killed chairman of the Grozny City Council Vitaly Kutsenko in 1991, but war didn't begin. Not the same revolution but was in Kiev. Russia got out all military forces from Chechnya. Chechnya become independent and were so from 1991 to 1994.
In 1992 — 1993 in the territory of Chechnya over 600 premeditated murders were committed. During 1993 on the Grozny office of the North Caucasian railroad about 4 thousand vagons and containers for the sum of 11,5 billion rubles underwent armed attack of 559 trains with full or partial plunder. In 8 months 1994 120 armed attacks as a result of which 1156 vagons and 527 containers are plundered. Losses made more than 11 billion rubles. In 1992 — 1994 as a result of armed attacks 26 railroad workers were killed. Current situation compelled the government of Russia to make the decision on the termination of movement on the territory of Chechnya since October, 1994. Since 1992 it was stolen and 1790 people were illegally kept in Chechnya. In Chechnya from 1991 to 1999 it was killed more than 21 thousand Russians (apart from victims during military operations), it is taken more than 100 thousand apartments and the houses belonging to representatives of the non Chechen ethnoses, more than 46 thousand people were actually turned into slaves. They selected property and passports with the connivance of the republican and federal authorities. And a lot of things were happened. 1994-1996 Eltsin send russian forces in Chechnya. then in 1996 they made the peace. But then some bombs and so on. Population in Russia were in panic and Putin were under pressure to stop all that terrorists, so second chechen war began. And now Chechnya one of the richest region.
So were Chechens separatists, yes, because they wanted to separate. So were they terrorists? yes, they killed a lot of people and robbed many trains.
Oh yes I don't able to answer simple question. Lol. When I say I don't know it means I don't know, when I say there is no proof, it means there is no proof.
Good, we are getting somewhere. Sources?
Lets put it this way:
In 2014 bunch of armed thugs started causing general mayhem in eastern ukraine, killing several, kidnapping others, basically - installing their own "government" at a point of a gun and openly declaring their wish to join neighboring country, despite the fact, that they were minority in those regions (albeit - supported by russia, thus better organized and armed). After failed attempts to negotiate - open hostilities break out. Ukraine new president sends in troops en-masse and the civil war begins.
So you cite 11 billion roubles of losses (care to translate to dollars?) and 26 railroad people dead + 1790 people kidnaped (assuming that is what "stolen" means) + general unrest and infighting as a "casus belli" for Yaltcin to invade the independent Chechnya, fair enough. 21k russians killed till 1999, i.e. including during the first war - that is the outcome of russian meddling in Chechnya, from what I gather, not the cause + given russian war crimes list on the very wiki in the first chechen war - I would lay a significant part of the casualties on the very russian army you try to justify. Given that russians were participating in the internal conflict between opposing factions - I don't really see how it could have ended otherwise, but I digress - general mayhem in a neighboring country is... oups - something russia likes to cause
greaat... so, given such a cause for starting the wipeout of terrorists - lets see Ukraine case.
What if Ukraine cited their property being stolen (somehow I believe its MORE than those vagons) and its citizens being terrorized into some new quazi-independent state + general mayhem + refusal to negotiate + evident interference by russia + a serious likelyhood of Crimean scenario with numerous green-men (who then turned out to be russian special forces) repeating. Do you find this an insufficient cause for dealing with terrorists-separatists the hard way? + comparatively, given the amount of civilians in conflict zone and numbers of casualties - these military actions are mild and well restrained, instead of russian "throw cannon fodder in and see what happens" way.
So... lets see - one is legitimate, another is not? Ofcourse it is better to avoid fighting, but its not like Ukraine did not try to negotiate first and was not offering amnesty, autonomy and a further discussion. Instead - they got called natzzzzeeeeessss and sent away "because we are russia and we will be joining it soon and they will support us". +add the whole propaganda BS by putler media. I would say Ukraine had MORE than enough casus belli to defend itself, while russian possition in this case is mind-boggling given that THEY stirred this shit up and coupled with eighty-fucking-seven percent support for great-leader-putler.
At least you will skip some sessions of eating sprats along this path...