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			{{Short description\|2000 battle in the Second Chechen War}}
	{{POV}}
			{{Use dmy dates\|date=March 2020}}
	{{Infobox Military Conflict
			{{Infobox military conflict
	\|conflict=Battle of Hill 776
			\| conflict = Battle for Height 776
	\|image=]
	\|height=230		\| height = 230
			\| image = 776-Battle-DE.svg
	\|caption=A Chechen fighter stands over Russian paratroopers killed in action on Hill 776
			\| image_size = 300
	\|partof=]
			\| caption = Map of the breakthrough, including the fight at the Height 776
	\|place=], ]
			\| partof = the ]
	\|date=]-] (or ]) ]
			\| place = Height 776, ], ]
	\|result=Chechen victory
			\| date = 29 February – 1 March 2000
	\|combatant1=] ] and ]
			\| result = Chechen victory
	\|combatant2=] ]<br>] ]
			\| combatant1 = {{flagicon\|Chechen Republic of Ichkeria}} ]
	\|commander1=]{{KIA}}<ref name=laststand/>
			\| combatant2 = {{flag\|Russia}}
	\|commander2=]{{Fact\|date=December 2008}}
			\| commander1 = {{flagicon\|Chechen Republic of Ichkeria}} ] <br> {{flagicon image\|Flag of Jihad.svg}} ]<br>{{flagicon image\|Flag of Jihad.svg}} ]
	\|strength1=91<ref name="miracle"/>
			\| commander2 = {{flagicon\|Russia}} ]{{KIA}}<ref name=laststand/><br>{{flagicon\|Russia}} Viktor Romanov{{KIA}}
	\|strength2=At least 70-75<ref name=kc/><ref name=kavkaz>] (22 February 2008): </ref>
			\| strength1 = ''Disputed'' <br>70 (per Chechnya)<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.warchechnya.ru/news/khattab_o_boe_pod_ulus_kertom_s_desantnikami_6_roty_104_polka_vdv_quot_ehto_byla_ne_nasha_rabota_a_angelov_allakha_quot/2011-10-07-1686/\|title=Хаттаб о бое под Улус-Кертом, с десантниками 6 роты 104 полка ВДВ: "Это была не наша работа, а ангелов Аллаха"\|date=7 October 2011}}</ref> <br>First day; 1,000+ (per Russia)<br>Subsequently; 1,500–2,000+ (per Russia)<br>
	\|casualties1=84 killed<ref name="miracle"/>
			\| strength2 = 90{{cn\|date=April 2023}}
	\|casualties2=At least 12 killed<ref name=kc/>
			\| casualties1 = 21–25 killed<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.warchechnya.ru/news/khattab_o_boe_pod_ulus_kertom_s_desantnikami_6_roty_104_polka_vdv_quot_ehto_byla_ne_nasha_rabota_a_angelov_allakha_quot/2011-10-07-1686/\|title=Хаттаб о бое под Улус-Кертом, с десантниками 6 роты 104 полка ВДВ: "Это была не наша работа, а ангелов Аллаха"\|date=7 October 2011}}</ref> (per Chechnya) <br>100 killed<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.mk.ru/politics/2020/03/01/desantnik-rasskazal-kak-pogibala-pskovskaya-6ya-rota-v-chechne.html\|title=Десантник рассказал, как погибала псковская 6-я рота в Чечне}}</ref> (per Russian veteran Lobanov)<br>400–700<ref> {{cite web\|url=http://expert.ru/2014/03/1/zabyityij-podvig-6-rotyi\|script-title=ru:Забытый подвиг 6 роты\|trans-title=Forgotten Feat of 6 Companies\|language=Russian\|publisher=Эксперт\|date=1 March 2014}}</ref> killed (per Russia)
	\|campaign=
			\| casualties2 = 84 killed<br>6 wounded <ref>{{web archive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022212206/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4528734.html}}</ref>
			\| casualties3 = {{small\|Note: Their respective official figures according to both sides involved in direct combat at Height 776 (not the entire operation of the breakthrough from the Argun Gorge, which also included other skirmishes in the area ).}}
	}}		}}
	{{Campaignbox Second Chechen War}}		{{Campaignbox Second Chechen War}}
			The '''Battle for Height 776''', part of the larger '''Battle of Ulus-Kert''', was an engagement in the ] that took place during fighting for control of the ] ] in the highland ] of central ], between the villages of Ulus-Kert and ].

			In late February 2000, the ] attempted to encircle and destroy a large ] withdrawing from the Chechen capital ] to ] and ] in the southern mountains of Chechnya following the 1999–2000 ].<ref name=bbc>BBC News (6 March 2000) </ref> On 29 February 2000, just hours after Russian Defense Minister ] had assured his government that the Second Chechen War was over,<ref name="nation">'']'' (15 March 2000) </ref> an isolated Russian force composed mainly of a company of ] of the ] from the city of ] found itself cut off by a retreating Chechen column led by ] and ].<ref name="fairy"/> After heavy close-quarters overnight fighting, the Russian position was overrun and almost entirely wiped out. The incident inspired a Kremlin-funded film, and fascinated Russian leader Vladimir Putin.<ref>{{cite web \|last1=Osborn \|first1=Andrew \|title=Kremlin film makes heroes out of paratroops it left to be massacred \|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/kremlin-film-makes-heroes-out-of-paratroops-it-left-to-be-massacred-478266.html \|website=The Independent \|access-date=17 March 2023}}</ref>
	The '''Battle of Hill 776''', the best-known part of the larger '''Battle of Ulus-Kert''' <ref>There was also other fighting for the town of ], the village of ], the Hill 705.6, the Hill 787 and elsewhere in area)</ref>, was a highly-controversial engagement in the ] during the fierce fighting over the control of the ] ] in the ] of ], where the Russian forces attempted to surround and destroy a large Chechen rebel force ] from ] to ] and ] following the 1999-2000 ].<ref name=bbc>] (6 March, 2000) </ref>

			Uncertainty continues to surround many aspects of the engagement, including the number of combatants, casualties, how much ] and ] was provided, and how long the battle even lasted.
	On ], ], just hours after the Russian Defence Minister ] had assured his government that the war was over,<ref name="nation">'']'' (March 15 2000) ,</ref> an isolated Russian force based on the 6th ] of the ] from the city of ] found itself cut-off in the Chechen mountains; after heavy close-quarters fighting, the Russians dug-in on the hill were overrun and almost entirely wiped-out. The incident was widely publicised in Russia, in part because of several ] pieces it inspired, and is known to fascinate the Russian leader ] personally.<ref name=independent/>

			==Battle==
	Uncertainty continues to surround many aspects of the engagement, including how people were engaged in the battle on both sides, how many casualties the Russians suffered and themselves inflicted, how much ] and ] they were provided, and even how long the fighting for the hill raged (with the time span ranging, according to the widely conflicting Russian official statements, from a six-hour overnight battle to even four days).<ref name=claims>'']'' (10 March 2000): </ref>
			The goal of a regimental combat group ] of the ] (VDV) tactical group in the area, based on the ] of the ] and including also teams from the ], and the elite ] group of the ], was to block an exit from a gorge, while other Russian forces attempted to ] a large Chechen force departing the village of Ulus-Kert. The 6th Company, part of the regiment's 2nd Battalion, was part of this blocking force. The company's nominal commander was Major Sergey Molodov; however, it was actually led personally by Lieutenant Colonel ], commander of the entire battalion. With him were a ] platoon and an artillery ] team led by Captain Viktor Romanov.<ref name=laststand>] (July 2001) </ref>

			At dawn of 29 February, in dense fog, the Russians were surprised by a large-scale Chechen breakthrough and were attacked from their rear by a reconnaissance group of about 20 rebel fighters, soon joined by many more who then had them surrounded. After suffering heavy losses (including the death of Major Molodov) from the initial ambush, the rest of the Russians retreated to a hilltop designated Height 776, where they hastily dug defensive positions. They received fire support, including from the regimental artillery battalion's ] self-propelled 120 mm mortars; however, a pair of ] attack helicopters reportedly turned back after being shot at en route.<ref>{{in lang\|ru}} </ref> The only Russian reinforcement that made it to Height 776 were 14 men of the 4th Company's third platoon, personally led by the battalion's deputy commander, Major Alexander Dostavalov. Attempts by the 1st and 3rd Companies, as well as the rest of the 4th Company, to rescue their surrounded comrades or to stop the breakthrough were unsuccessful. Eventually, seriously wounded Captain Romanov called for fire support on his own position before being overrun in the final Chechen attack. According to the Russians, 84 of their soldiers were killed in combat at Height 776, including all of the officers. Only six rank-and-file soldiers survived the battle, four of them seriously injured.<ref name=laststand/><ref>{{in lang\|ru}} </ref>
	==The events==
	One of the ]al ]s ] (VDV) tactical group in the area, based on the 104th ] ] Regiment of the 76th Division with attached ] ] subunits and elite ] (] ]) groups, was to block the gorge while the other Russian forces ] a large Chechen force that was dislodged from Ulus Kert. The 6th Company was part of the 2d ] ] belonging to this blocking force. The company (whose nominal commander was ] Sergey Molodov) was then being led personally by the 2nd Battallion commander ] Mark Yevtyukhin. Attached to it were also two reconnaissance ]s and a ] team (led by ] Viktor Romanov).<ref name=laststand/>

			==Controversies==
	Once the large-scale Chechen breakthrough started, the Russians were caught by surprise. The only Russian force that made to the Hill 776, now suddenly in the thick of the fighting, was the third ] of the 4th Company led by Major Aleksandr Dostovalov (the 2d Battalion deputy commander). Desperate attempts from the other Russian units to rescue them were unsuccesful and in the troops resorted to calling support fire on their own positions. According to official data, 84 soldiers of the 6th Company (presumably also including attached members of the other units) were killed in the fighting, including all officers at the spot. Only six (or five according to some sources) Russian soldiers on the hill survived the battle, including four of them injured; the highest-rank survivor was ] Andrey Proshev.<ref name=laststand>] (July 2001) </ref>
			The battle embarrassed Russian military officials, who attempted to downplay or conceal the casualties they had suffered. Senior military leaders (including ] ],<ref name="nation"/> VDV commander General ],<ref name=bbc/><ref name="conflicting">] (7 March 2000) </ref> and the commander of federal forces in Chechnya, General ]<ref name="cbc">] (7 March 2000) </ref>) initially insisted that only 31 of their men were killed in the battle and denied the unofficial rumours of 86 dead. ], Russian President ]'s spokesman on Chechnya, also claimed 31 fatalities were "the total losses of that company for several days".<ref>GlobalSecurity.org (6 March 2000) </ref> After days of denials, Russian officials eventually admitted the losses, some of them apparently caused by ] from their own artillery.<ref>'']'' (12 March 2000): </ref> Russian newspapers reported that Marshal Sergeyev had ordered the losses to be covered up,<ref name=stranded>'']'' (11 March 2000): </ref> as the loss came just a week after 25 men from the 76th Airborne Division were killed in another battle in Chechnya.<ref>] (11 May 2006) ({{webarchive \|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515231512/http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=416&issue_id=3726&article_id=2371084 \|date=15 May 2006 }})</ref> Even after the figure of "at least 85" killed has been confirmed by Sergeyev, VDV deputy commander Nikolai Staskov said they were killed over four days, from 29 February to 3 March.<ref name=claims>'']'' (10 March 2000): </ref> According to one source, "unofficially the losses sustained by Russian paratroopers on 1 March are blamed on the decision of the Eastern group's commander Gen. Sergey Makarov and the VDV tactical group's commander Aleksandr Lentsov."<ref>Venik's Aviation (7 March 2000) {{webarchive \|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010421012906/http://www.aeronautics.ru/chechnya/030700.htm \|date=21 April 2001 }} ()</ref> The final figure ultimately stood at 84. However the total Russian strength and the losses among the other Russian units operating in the area of Ulus-Kert were never officially disclosed.

			In the first days after the battle, Gen. Troshev said 1,000 rebel fighters were involved.<ref name="cbc"/> This figure was subsequently raised to 1,500–2,000 by Yastrzhembsky<ref name=bbc/> and eventually to 2,500 by Troshev.<ref name=claims/> However, according to a statement by Colonel General Valery Manilov, first deputy chief of the ], there were only 2,500 to 3,500 separatist fighters left in all of Chechnya at this time.<ref>BBC News (10 March 2000): </ref> According to Yastrzhembsky on 6 March, some 70 rebels had laid down their arms at what he called a "pocket" at Selmentausen, while "up to 1,000 might have succeeded in escaping".<ref name=bbc/> The very first Russian official statements mentioned the death of 100 Chechen fighters at the price of 31 Russian soldiers. According to the article in '']'' (''Red Star''), the official newspaper of the ], separatist casualties in the Argun Gorge area totaled approximately 400 dead, including 200 bodies allegedly found at Height 776.<ref name=laststand/> However, the official federal estimate was later raised to about 500 enemy dead, according to the Russian government website.<ref>Russian Embassy to ] (undated): {{webarchive \|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724084157/http://www.thailand.mid.ru/chech3.html \|date=24 July 2011 }}</ref>
	==Losses by sides==
	] at the ceremony of unveiling a memorial stone erected on the site of a future monument to paratroopers of the 6th company, 76th guards airborne division]]
	The battle caused severe embarrassment for Russian military officials who then attempted to conceal their loss of an entire unit. Russia's high commanders, including ] ],<ref name="nation"/> VDV commander ] ],<ref name=bbc/><ref name="conflicting">] (7 March 2000) </ref> and the commander of federal forces in Chechnya General ],<ref name="cbc">] (], ]) </ref> initially all insisted that only 31 of their men died in the battle and denied the reports based on unofficial sources saying 86 soldiers were killed; the Russian President ]'s spokesman on Chechnya, ], also claimed 31 dead were "the total losses of that company for several days".<ref>] (6 March 2000) </ref> After days of government denials, top Russian officials eventually admitted that 84 paratroopers died, some of them apparently from ].<ref>'']'' (March 12, 2000): </ref> Russian newspapers reported that Sergeyev had ordered the losses to be covered up;<ref>'']'' (11 March 2000): </ref> the loss of this unit came just a week after 25 men from the 76th Division were killed in an another battle in Chechnya.<ref>] (May 11 2006) </ref> According to a pro-government Russian source, "unoficially, the losses sustained by Russian ]s on March 1 are blamed on the decision of the Eastern group's commander Gen. ] and the VDV tactical group's commander ]."<ref>] (March 7, 2000) </ref>

			On 10 March, Chechen President ] announced a general order to begin "an all-out partisan war"<ref name=stranded/> and the separatist forces remaining in the still unoccupied territories scattered to launch a long guerrilla war. The Russians thus lost one of their last chances to defeat a large number of the pro-independence fighters in a concentrated position, although in March the federal forces managed to inflict devastating losses against a different column of some 1,000–1,500 fighters (trapping the group under ] in the village of ] on 6 March and then killing hundreds of them in the ]).
	The total Russian strenght and the losses among the other Russian units and subunits operating in area of Ulus-Kert were never officially disclosed. In the first days after the battle, Troshev said 1,000 rebel fighters were involved,<ref name="cbc"/> this figure was soon later revised to 1,500-2,000 by Yastrzhembsky,<ref name=bbc/> and even 2,500 according to Troshev later.<ref name=claims/> At the same time, ] ], first deputy chief of the ], claimed there were only 2,500 to 3,500 rebels in all of Chechnya.<ref>] (10 March, 2000): </ref> According to Yastrzhembsky at the time when the fighting in area still continued, 70 rebels also surrendered at what he called a "pocket" at Selmentausen, while "up to 1,000 might have succeeded in escaping".<ref name=bbc/> According to 2001 the article in '']'' (]), official newspaper of the ], Chechen casualties in the area included approximately 400 dead, including 200 found on the Hill 776.<ref name=laststand/> However, as of 2008, the official federal estimate apparently rose to about 500 enemy dead according to the government website,<ref>Russian embassy to ]: </ref> while the Russian state ] spoke even about over 700.<ref name="miracle"/>

			While there were no civilians in the immediate proximity of the clashes at the uninhabited Height 776, there were severe civilian casualties during the struggle for the broader Argun Gorge area, in particular from the artillery and air attacks on Ulus-Kert, Yaryshmardy and other villages, where thousands of locals and ]s from Grozny were trapped.<ref name=stranded/> Furthermore, there were many credible reports of direct atrocities against the population. For example, on 6 March, a group of civilians was detained by soldiers at the notorious Russian checkpoint on the road between Ulus-Kert and Duba-Yurt; 12 men from the group "]" and the bodies of three of them were unearthed at the nearby village of Tangi-Chu two months later.<ref>] (March 2001): </ref> In an infamous incident later in March, a local girl, ], was abducted from her home in Tangi-Chu, then raped and strangled to death by ] Colonel ].
	According to a Russian interview with a separatist fighter, there were 1,600 fighters in what the whole slow-moving column weighted-down by heavy weapons, ammunition and wounded they carried along.<ref>] (March 26, 2002) </ref> On their ] website, the rebels admitted losing 12 men killed on the Hill 776, 13 more in other fighting in this area between Ulus-Kert and ] at the time, and about 50 combat dead during the march from Shatoi to Vedeno three weeks later. In addition to these losses, 30 wounded left behind at Selmentausen were said to be captured by Russians because of betrayal and allegedly executed.<ref name=kc>] (29 February 2004) </ref> Among the fighters killed while storming the Hill 776 were three ].<ref>] (7 April 2005) </ref> The Chechen rebels estimated Russian losses at up to 200 killed, including about 100 "so-called Pskov ]s."<ref>] (8 March 2005) </ref>

	==Aftermath==		==Aftermath==
	].		] at a speech in Pskov at the ceremony unveiling a memorial stone erected for the monument to paratroopers of the 6th Company]]
			] in Pskov in honor of the 6th Company]]

	Partially owing to these points of controversy, the battle has been seen in Russia in two ways: firstly, as a defeat for the Russian military, and secondly, as a glorious ] made by the paratroopers, confirming the VDV's reputation in the same way that the ] did for the ], and the events were quickly enshrined in ]. Though for some in the Russian army it remains a cause of shame because of avoidable circumstances that resulted in a defeat, it turned out to be officially held in Russia as an example of bravery and sacrifice.<ref name=independent/> Soon, 22 Russian soldiers (all 13 ]s and nine enlisted men) were given the highest ] of the ] (for a comparison, only 65 medals of the ] were given for the entire duration of the 10-year ], in which more than 14,000 ] soldiers died), while another 63 received the ].<ref name="fairy">'']'' (19 March 2008) </ref> In 2001, Putin flew to Chechnya to ~~personally~~ visit the former battlefield.<ref>'']'' (16 April 2001) </ref> In 2008, a day before Russia's ], a street in ~~the Chechen capital ]~~ was officially renamed as "84 Pskov Paratroopers Street",<ref name="~~miracle~~">] (23 ~~February~~ 2008) </~~ref>~~ in ~~the~~ ~~move~~ ~~that~~ ~~sparked further controversies~~ in Chechnya.<ref ~~name="fairy"/~~><ref>] (29 January 2008) </ref><ref>] (22 February 2008) </ref>		In 2001, Putin flew to Chechnya to visit the former battlefield.<ref>'']'' (16 April 2001) </ref> In 2008, a day before Russia's ], a street in Grozny was officially renamed as "84 Pskov Paratroopers Street",{{cn\|date=April 2023}} a move that sparked further controversy in Chechnya.<ref name="fairy">'']'' (19 March 2008) </ref><ref>Prague Watchdog (29 January 2008) </ref><ref>Prague Watchdog (22 February 2008) </ref>

	==~~Popular culture~~==		==Awards==
			{{Wikisourcelang\|ru\|Указ Президента РФ от 21.07.2000 № 1334\|Battle of Hill 776}}
	The Russian government sponsored a series of productions loosely based on these events, including the 2004 ] show,<ref>] (18 June 2004) </ref> the 2004 television series , the 2006 four-part ] ("The Storm Gate")<ref>] (21 February 2006) </ref> and the 2006 movie ''Proriv'' ("Breakthrough").<ref name=independent>'']'' (15 May 2006) </ref>

			On 12 March 2000, President Putin signed an '']'' conferring ] upon participants of the battle.<ref name="fairy" /> 63 soldiers received the ] and 22 (all 13 officers and nine enlisted men) were awarded the country's highest honorary medal and title of the ].<ref></ref> In comparison, only 65 medals of the ] medal were awarded for the entire duration of the 10-year ].

			Hero of the Russian Federation recipients for this incident are:<ref>{{in lang\|ru}} </ref>
			{{div col\|colwidth=22em}}
			* Guard Lt. Colonel ]{{KIA}}
			* Guard Major Sergey Molodov{{KIA}}
			* Guard Major Alexander Dostavalov{{KIA}}
			* Guard Captain Roman Sokolov{{KIA}}
			* Guard Captain Viktor Romanov{{KIA}}
			* Guard Lieutenant Alexey Vorobyov{{KIA}}
			* Guard Lieutenant Andrey Sherstyannikov{{KIA}}
			* Guard Lieutenant Andrey Panov{{KIA}}
			* Guard Lieutenant Dmitry Petrov{{KIA}}
			* Guard Lieutenant Alexander Kolgatin{{KIA}}
			* Lieutenant Oleg Yermakov{{KIA}}
			* Lieutenant Alexander Ryazantsev{{KIA}}
			* Lieutenant Dmitry Kozhemyakin{{KIA}}
			* Guard Sergeant (contract service) Sergey Medvedev{{KIA}}
			* Guard Sergeant (contract service) Alexander Komyagin{{KIA}}
			* Guard Sergeant (contract service) Dmitry Grigoriyev{{KIA}}
			* Guard Sergeant Sergey Vasilyov{{KIA}}
			* Guard Sergeant Vladislav Dukhin{{KIA}}
			* Guard Corporal (contract service) Alexander Lebedev{{KIA}}
			* Guard Corporal Alexander Gerdt{{KIA}}
			* Guard Private Alexey Rasskaza{{KIA}}
			* Guard Sergeant Alexander Suponinsky (survivor, )
			{{div col end}}

			==In popular culture==
			A series of Russian productions loosely based on these events were produced in the years after the battle, including a 2004 ] show,<ref>] (18 June 2004) </ref> the 2004 television series ("I Have the Honour"), the 2006 four-part television film ("The Storm Gate")<ref>] (21 February 2006) </ref> and the 2006 movie ''Proriv'' ("Breakthrough").<ref name=independent>'']'' (15 May 2006) </ref> In 2022, Russian heavy metal band ] released a song about the battle called ''Высота 776'' as the second track on the albulm ''Наследие'' (Heritage).<ref>{{Citation \|last=Radio Tapok \|title=Наследие \|url=https://www.amazon.com/%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%B5-Radio-Tapok/dp/B09VLHFW27 \|access-date=2022-03-24}}</ref>

			During the ] ] raised the "Alexander Dostavalov Battalion" volunteer unit, named after Major Dostavalov, commander of the 4th Company's third platoon that reinforced the hill.<ref name="ISW Volunteer List">{{cite web \|last1=Stepanenko \|first1=Kateryna \|last2=Barros \|first2=George \|last3=Kagan \|first3=Frederick W. \|title=Russian Volunteer Units and Battalions \|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-volunteer-units-and-battalions \|website=] \|access-date=7 August 2023}}</ref>

			==See also==
			* ], a successful defense of the Soviet paratroopers against an attack by the Afghan mujahideen in 1988

	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist\|2}}		{{reflist}}

	==External links==		== External links ==
			{{Commons category\|Battle for Height 776}}
	{{Wikisourcelang\|ru\|Указ Президента РФ от 21.07.2000 № 1334\|Battle of Hill 776}}
	* July 2001 ] ~~paper~~ ~~based on~~ ~~the ''Red Star'' article~~		* (July 2001 ]). Archived link:
			*, ], April 2002 (based mostly on General Troshev's memoir)
			* {{in lang\|ru}}

			{{Chechen wars}}
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			{{Coord\|42\|57\|47\|N\|45\|48\|17\|E\|type:event\|display=title}}
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			{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle For Height 776}}
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Latest revision as of 14:48, 18 November 2024

2000 battle in the Second Chechen War

Battle for Height 776

Part of the Second Chechen War

Map of the breakthrough, including the fight at the Height 776

Date	29 February – 1 March 2000
Location	Height 776, Argun Gorge, Chechnya
Result	Chechen victory

Belligerents

Chechen Republic of Ichkeria

Russia

Commanders and leaders

Shamil Basayev

Ibn al-Khattab

Abu al-Walid

Mark Yevtyukhin †

Viktor Romanov †

Strength

Disputed
70 (per Chechnya)
First day; 1,000+ (per Russia)
Subsequently; 1,500–2,000+ (per Russia)

Casualties and losses

21–25 killed (per Chechnya)
100 killed (per Russian veteran Lobanov)
400–700 killed (per Russia)

84 killed
6 wounded

Note: Their respective official figures according to both sides involved in direct combat at Height 776 (not the entire operation of the breakthrough from the Argun Gorge, which also included other skirmishes in the area ).

v t e Second Chechen War
Russian offensive (1999–2000) Russian air bombardment Elistanzhi cluster bombing Grozny missile attack Shami-Yurt bombing Goity incident Grozny Staropromyslovsky massacre Katyr-Yurt bombing Novye Aldi massacre Height 776 Komsomolskoye OMON fratricide incident 1st Zhani-Vedeno Guerrilla phase (2000–2009) Insurgency since May 2000 Galashki 1st suicide bombings 2nd suicide bombings Alkhan-Kala Vedeno 1st Grozny crash Tsotsin-Yurt Shelkovskaya crash 2nd Grozny Khankala crash Grozny truck bomb Znamenskoye suicide bombing Nazran 1st Avtury 4th Grozny Dagestan sieges Borozdinovskaya Makhachkala bombing Nalchik Gimry 2nd Avtury Vladikavkaz crash Border incident Shatoy crash 2nd Zhani-Vedeno

Second Chechen War

Russian offensive (1999–2000)

Guerrilla phase (2000–2009)

Insurgency since May 2000

The Battle for Height 776, part of the larger Battle of Ulus-Kert, was an engagement in the Second Chechen War that took place during fighting for control of the Argun River gorge in the highland Shatoysky District of central Chechnya, between the villages of Ulus-Kert and Selmentauzen.

In late February 2000, the Russian military attempted to encircle and destroy a large Chechen force withdrawing from the Chechen capital Grozny to Shatoy and Vedeno in the southern mountains of Chechnya following the 1999–2000 siege and capture of Grozny. On 29 February 2000, just hours after Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev had assured his government that the Second Chechen War was over, an isolated Russian force composed mainly of a company of paratroopers of the 76th Airborne Division from the city of Pskov found itself cut off by a retreating Chechen column led by Shamil Basayev and Ibn Al-Khattab. After heavy close-quarters overnight fighting, the Russian position was overrun and almost entirely wiped out. The incident inspired a Kremlin-funded film, and fascinated Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Uncertainty continues to surround many aspects of the engagement, including the number of combatants, casualties, how much artillery support and close air support was provided, and how long the battle even lasted.

Battle

The goal of a regimental combat group task force of the Russian Airborne Troops (VDV) tactical group in the area, based on the 104th Guards Airborne Regiment of the 76th Division and including also teams from the GRU Spetsnaz, and the elite Vympel group of the FSB, was to block an exit from a gorge, while other Russian forces attempted to encircle a large Chechen force departing the village of Ulus-Kert. The 6th Company, part of the regiment's 2nd Battalion, was part of this blocking force. The company's nominal commander was Major Sergey Molodov; however, it was actually led personally by Lieutenant Colonel Mark Yevtyukhin, commander of the entire battalion. With him were a reconnaissance platoon and an artillery forward observer team led by Captain Viktor Romanov.

At dawn of 29 February, in dense fog, the Russians were surprised by a large-scale Chechen breakthrough and were attacked from their rear by a reconnaissance group of about 20 rebel fighters, soon joined by many more who then had them surrounded. After suffering heavy losses (including the death of Major Molodov) from the initial ambush, the rest of the Russians retreated to a hilltop designated Height 776, where they hastily dug defensive positions. They received fire support, including from the regimental artillery battalion's 2S9 Nona self-propelled 120 mm mortars; however, a pair of Mil Mi-24 attack helicopters reportedly turned back after being shot at en route. The only Russian reinforcement that made it to Height 776 were 14 men of the 4th Company's third platoon, personally led by the battalion's deputy commander, Major Alexander Dostavalov. Attempts by the 1st and 3rd Companies, as well as the rest of the 4th Company, to rescue their surrounded comrades or to stop the breakthrough were unsuccessful. Eventually, seriously wounded Captain Romanov called for fire support on his own position before being overrun in the final Chechen attack. According to the Russians, 84 of their soldiers were killed in combat at Height 776, including all of the officers. Only six rank-and-file soldiers survived the battle, four of them seriously injured.

Controversies

The battle embarrassed Russian military officials, who attempted to downplay or conceal the casualties they had suffered. Senior military leaders (including Marshal of the Russian Federation Igor Sergeyev, VDV commander General Georgy Shpak, and the commander of federal forces in Chechnya, General Gennady Troshev) initially insisted that only 31 of their men were killed in the battle and denied the unofficial rumours of 86 dead. Sergey Yastrzhembsky, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman on Chechnya, also claimed 31 fatalities were "the total losses of that company for several days". After days of denials, Russian officials eventually admitted the losses, some of them apparently caused by friendly fire from their own artillery. Russian newspapers reported that Marshal Sergeyev had ordered the losses to be covered up, as the loss came just a week after 25 men from the 76th Airborne Division were killed in another battle in Chechnya. Even after the figure of "at least 85" killed has been confirmed by Sergeyev, VDV deputy commander Nikolai Staskov said they were killed over four days, from 29 February to 3 March. According to one source, "unofficially the losses sustained by Russian paratroopers on 1 March are blamed on the decision of the Eastern group's commander Gen. Sergey Makarov and the VDV tactical group's commander Aleksandr Lentsov." The final figure ultimately stood at 84. However the total Russian strength and the losses among the other Russian units operating in the area of Ulus-Kert were never officially disclosed.

In the first days after the battle, Gen. Troshev said 1,000 rebel fighters were involved. This figure was subsequently raised to 1,500–2,000 by Yastrzhembsky and eventually to 2,500 by Troshev. However, according to a statement by Colonel General Valery Manilov, first deputy chief of the Russian General Staff, there were only 2,500 to 3,500 separatist fighters left in all of Chechnya at this time. According to Yastrzhembsky on 6 March, some 70 rebels had laid down their arms at what he called a "pocket" at Selmentausen, while "up to 1,000 might have succeeded in escaping". The very first Russian official statements mentioned the death of 100 Chechen fighters at the price of 31 Russian soldiers. According to the article in Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star), the official newspaper of the Russian Ministry of Defense, separatist casualties in the Argun Gorge area totaled approximately 400 dead, including 200 bodies allegedly found at Height 776. However, the official federal estimate was later raised to about 500 enemy dead, according to the Russian government website.

On 10 March, Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov announced a general order to begin "an all-out partisan war" and the separatist forces remaining in the still unoccupied territories scattered to launch a long guerrilla war. The Russians thus lost one of their last chances to defeat a large number of the pro-independence fighters in a concentrated position, although in March the federal forces managed to inflict devastating losses against a different column of some 1,000–1,500 fighters (trapping the group under Ruslan Gelayev in the village of Komsomolskoye on 6 March and then killing hundreds of them in the following siege).

While there were no civilians in the immediate proximity of the clashes at the uninhabited Height 776, there were severe civilian casualties during the struggle for the broader Argun Gorge area, in particular from the artillery and air attacks on Ulus-Kert, Yaryshmardy and other villages, where thousands of locals and refugees from Grozny were trapped. Furthermore, there were many credible reports of direct atrocities against the population. For example, on 6 March, a group of civilians was detained by soldiers at the notorious Russian checkpoint on the road between Ulus-Kert and Duba-Yurt; 12 men from the group "disappeared" and the bodies of three of them were unearthed at the nearby village of Tangi-Chu two months later. In an infamous incident later in March, a local girl, Elza Kungayeva, was abducted from her home in Tangi-Chu, then raped and strangled to death by Russian Ground Forces Colonel Yuri Budanov.

Aftermath

In 2001, Putin flew to Chechnya to visit the former battlefield. In 2008, a day before Russia's Defender of the Fatherland Day, a street in Grozny was officially renamed as "84 Pskov Paratroopers Street", a move that sparked further controversy in Chechnya.

Awards

On 12 March 2000, President Putin signed an ukaz conferring Russian state awards upon participants of the battle. 63 soldiers received the Order of Courage and 22 (all 13 officers and nine enlisted men) were awarded the country's highest honorary medal and title of the Hero of the Russian Federation. In comparison, only 65 medals of the Hero of the Soviet Union medal were awarded for the entire duration of the 10-year Soviet intervention in Afghanistan.

Hero of the Russian Federation recipients for this incident are:

Guard Lt. Colonel Mark Yevtyukhin †
Guard Major Sergey Molodov †
Guard Major Alexander Dostavalov †
Guard Captain Roman Sokolov †
Guard Captain Viktor Romanov †
Guard Lieutenant Alexey Vorobyov †
Guard Lieutenant Andrey Sherstyannikov †
Guard Lieutenant Andrey Panov †
Guard Lieutenant Dmitry Petrov †
Guard Lieutenant Alexander Kolgatin †
Lieutenant Oleg Yermakov †
Lieutenant Alexander Ryazantsev †
Lieutenant Dmitry Kozhemyakin †
Guard Sergeant (contract service) Sergey Medvedev †
Guard Sergeant (contract service) Alexander Komyagin †
Guard Sergeant (contract service) Dmitry Grigoriyev †
Guard Sergeant Sergey Vasilyov †
Guard Sergeant Vladislav Dukhin †
Guard Corporal (contract service) Alexander Lebedev †
Guard Corporal Alexander Gerdt †
Guard Private Alexey Rasskaza †
Guard Sergeant Alexander Suponinsky (survivor, interview in Russian)

In popular culture

A series of Russian productions loosely based on these events were produced in the years after the battle, including a 2004 theatrical musical show, the 2004 television series Chest imeyu ("I Have the Honour"), the 2006 four-part television film Grozovye vorota ("The Storm Gate") and the 2006 movie Proriv ("Breakthrough"). In 2022, Russian heavy metal band Radio Tapok released a song about the battle called Высота 776 as the second track on the albulm Наследие (Heritage).

During the Russian Invasion of Ukraine Bashkortostan raised the "Alexander Dostavalov Battalion" volunteer unit, named after Major Dostavalov, commander of the 4th Company's third platoon that reinforced the hill.