In December 1994, Russia started the Chechen War that lasted almost 15 years, until April 2009. Being one of the regions, Chechnya wanted more autonomy than any other region after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Yet, its leader, General Dudayev, was not seeking full-scale national sovereignty and demonstrated a readiness to negotiate with the Kremlin. Aleksashenko demonstrates the federal government's and Boris Yeltsin’s unwillingness to enter into serious negotiations, as well as the Kremlin’s gradual shift toward forcing rebels to their knees.