The second war in Chechnya began when Russia began the invasion of the country. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, this country proclaimed independence in 1991. Putin began the war on the pretext of attacks by Islamist Chechens outside the Independentists. The Russian army conducted an open war against the Chechen independentists, and after the siege that lasted between December and February they managed to conquer the capital Grozny. Russia established a direct authority in it. Chechnya is in a strategic location for pipelines and pipelines from Azerbaijan to Russia.