Watch Chechnya: War Without Trace

Chechnya: War Without Trace is a 2015 documentary film that zeroes in on the ghastly events that transpired during the two Chechen Wars in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The film serves as a reminder to the world that the Chechen people have been fighting an unceasing war for their independence for decades, and it has taken a tremendous toll on their lives and their land.

The documentary comprises numerous interviews with victims of both wars, former fighters, international observers, and journalists who reported on the conflict's atrocities. The filmmakers also include rare footage that depicts the brutal war that took place in Chechnya, which adds to the film's credibility and authenticity.

The film's narrative structure follows a chronological timeline, beginning with the 1994-96 First Chechen War, which was fought between Russia and Chechen rebels fighting for their independence. The documentary illustrates how the Russian military utilized intensive bombing and artillery shelling to subjugate the country. These actions led to gross human rights violations, including torture, disappearances, and extrajudicial killings.

The Second Chechen War, which occurred between 1999 and 2009, serves as the focal point of the documentary. The filmmakers explore how Vladimir Putin, then the Prime Minister, ordered a brutal crackdown to eliminate Chechen rebels and bring the renegade region back under Russian control. With Putin's blessing, Russian military personnel employed ruthless tactics, including shelling civilian areas, pillaging homes, and forcing Chechen men to confess to being terrorists.

Throughout the film, the viewer is confronted with the senseless brutality of the war on both sides. The historical context provided by the documentary is crucial in understanding the struggle for Chechen independence and the complexities of the geopolitical struggles that have characterized the region for centuries. Despite the Chechen rebellion being purely secular, the Russian government framed the conflict as a battle against Islamic terrorists, allowing them to justify numerous human rights violations.

The documentary offers deep insight into the lives of ordinary Chechen people, who have had to live with the scars of war for decades. Families who have been torn apart by the conflict speak with raw emotion about the abduction and disappearance of their loved ones, while combat veterans recount the horrors they witnessed and the crimes they committed in the name of their country. The film shows how the conflict has created a massive humanitarian crisis in Chechnya, with internally displaced people not receiving adequate support from either the Russian government or the international community.

The film is not without its drawbacks, however. Chechnya: War Without Trace does not delve into the geopolitical intrigues that have shaped the Chechen conflict. The film only serves as a partial and superficial account of the region's history, which perhaps stems from the difficulty in covering the incredibly complex issue in a documentary that is just under two hours.

Despite its shortcomings, Chechnya: War Without Trace stands out as a remarkable work of documentary filmmaking. The film provides an unvarnished look at the atrocities committed by both sides during these internal conflicts. The interviews with victims, their families, and combatants offer a sobering reminder that war forever scars those caught in its crossfire. Chechnya: War Without Trace is a seminal work, but more importantly, it shows that the Chechen people's struggle for independence continues to this day.

Chechnya: War Without Trace is a documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 26 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7.