A force that declared independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union, led by former Air Force General Dzhokhar Dudayev. When peaceful negotiations broke down and Russian tanks pushed in, these ordinary citizens transformed into brutal warriors. They are primarily composed of veterans of the Afghan War and guerrillas familiar with the local terrain. Using the basements and sewers of ruined Grozny buildings as bases, they are preparing for a desperate war of attrition against the overwhelmingly superior firepower of the Russian military.

The military deployed under President Boris Yeltsin's orders to secure Chechnya's oil fields and prevent the collapse of the Federation. While appearing to be a massive, large-scale army, they are in reality composed mainly of young conscripts who are poorly supplied and inadequately trained due to the economic ruin following the Soviet collapse. Many entered downtown Grozny in tanks without even knowing the terrain, only to suffer catastrophic losses in ambushes by Chechen guerrillas. Currently, they are carrying out brutal scorched-earth operations centered around cold-blooded veteran commanders from the Afghan War and special forces (Spetsnaz).