The reported bombing of Katyr-Yurt (Chechnya) occurred on February 4, 2000, when Russian forces bombed the village of Katyr-Yurt and afterwards a refugee convoy under white flags.Eyewitness: Chechnya's war goes on, BBC News, 20 March 2000 The village was also previously bombed by the Russians in 1995 and in 1996.War with Chechnya spreads as Russians bomb once-peaceful villages, Knight Ridder, 24 January 1995Russia Says, 'Sorry', The New York Times, March 30, 1996
Events
Journalists who managed to report on the area confirmed the use, by the Russians, of the vacuum bomb on the town.Lester W. Grau and Timothy L. Thomas(2000)"Russian Lessons Learned From the Battles For Grozny " The residents, including many civilian refugees who had fled the fighting in Grozny, were not warned in advance or told of safe exit routes by the Russian side. The sudden heavy bombardment of the village began in the early hours of the morning and subsided at approximately 3 p.m. At that time, many of the villagers attempted to leave, believing that the military had granted a safe passage out of the village. As they were leaving by road, planes appeared and bombed the cars.
The final atrocity came in the afternoon of February 4. The Russians told the Chechens they would be able to leave in a convoy of buses with white flags attached. The convoy which the Russians themselves dispatched for the Chechens was then bombed by the Russians.Wood, Tony. Chechnya: The Case for Independence. Page 101
A resident of the village claimed that Chechen fighters entered the village on 5 February.
Ultimately, the bombing lasted for two days and resulted in the deaths of at least 363 civilians, all Russian citizens. Many more were injured.Revealed: Russia's worst war crime in Chechnya, The Guardian, March 5, 2000
European Court of Human Rights judgments
In the February 24, 2005, ruling, the European Court of Human Rights held Russia responsible for the civilian deaths in Katyr-Yurt:
In 2010, the court delivered a judgement in another case related to Katyr-Yurt events: Abuyeva and Others v. Russia.ECHR judgment in the case of Abuyeva and Others v. Russia
Judgment in the third case related to the bombing was adopted by European Court of Human Rights in 2015.ECHR judgment in the case of Abakarova v. Russia application No. 16664/07
See also Grozny ballistic missile attack, another attack that resulted in massive civilian losses. Russian war crimes
References
External links European Court Hears Chechens' Lawsuits, Associated Press, October 15, 2004 European Court Rules Against Moscow, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, March 2, 2005 War Crimes and Human Rights Violations in Chechnya (Memorial)