Chechnya is a region in the southern regions of the Russian Federation, populated mostly by Sunni Muslims, which declared its sovereignty in the aftermath of the breakup of the Soviet Union, though its independence was opposed by the Russian government in favor of a “power-sharing” arrangement. The OSCE Assistance Group in Chechnya was created in 1995 to enact a cease-fire in ongoing violence and to promote a peaceful resolution of the conflict with respect for the human rights of its citizens. In 1996, during the Swiss Chairship of the OSCE, Ambassador Tim Guldimann assumed an active mediation role, which led to the Nasran Accords calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya. This was followed by the Khasavyourt Accords in 1997, brokered by the OSCE Assistance Group, focusing on human rights issues and election monitoring. However, Russian President Boris Yeltsin opposed renewal of the agreement and further OSCE engagement at the 1999 Istanbul OSCE Summit. Following additional violence in the region in 2000, newly installed Russian President Vladimir Putin imposed direct rule from Moscow and refused to allow further OSCE engagement. In a new constitution in 2003, Chechnya was granted limited autonomy as a unit of the Russia Federation.