Terror-99

/ putin / chechnya / the begginning /
"In September 1999, a series of middle-of-the-night explosions shook Russian cities destroying several apartment blocks. More than 300 people died as they slept. The attacks, attributed to Chechen separatists, boosted the popularity of the hawkish would-be President Vladimir Putin. Then, a strange thing happened. A bomb was defused by the local police, and the trail of evidence led to the door of the FSB, the secret service. The FSB was forced to admit "an ill-conceived exercise", which was remarkably similar to the earlier explosions. Ever since, a question has lingered over Mr. Putin's presidency: Who Done It?"

A site dedicated to the September 99 appartment block bombings in Russia. Since this was the opening act of the second Chechen war, it's a rather pertinent to the recent horrors.
Very thorough site as far as I can tell.