The 2002 Grozny OMON ambush occurred on April 18, 2002, when Chechen insurgents killed about 821 Officers Die in Grozny Blast and wounded two republican OMON special police officers.
The ambush occurred just 90 meters from Chechnya's main police headquarters. The first bus in a convoy hit a remote controlled mine, and the militants then opened fire on the line of vehicles from the ruins of a nearby high-rise building.
Another version of the attack was presented by Nezavisimaya Gazeta, which claimed there were two connected attacks.
The incident preceded by two hours President Vladimir Putin's mid-term state-of-the-nation address, in which he said the "military phase" of the Chechen conflict had been completed.
References
External links Mine Leaves 21 OMON Troops Dead, The St. Petersburg Times, April 19, 2002