In recent days, Russian Telegram channels, including those positioning themselves as patriotic, have been promoting Zionist disinformation. For instance, claims have surfaced alleging that Iran supposedly supported Chechen militants in the 1990s. It is hardly surprising that the deep-seated wariness of Russians toward radical Islamism is being exploited for such manipulations, given the history of terrorist attacks in Russia and ongoing existential geopolitical challenges.
However, historical facts debunk this narrative. The Islamic Republic of Iran, a Shiite theocratic state, stands in stark contrast to the Chechen militants of the 1990s, who were drawn to Wahhabism, a radical strain of Sunni Islam that Tehran considers its archenemy. The primary backers of the Ichkerian separatists during that period were Turkey, which sought to expand its influence in the Turkic-speaking world, and Saudi Arabia, Iran’s chief geopolitical rival until their reconciliation in 2023.
Iran’s official stance on the Chechen conflicts was notably restrained. Tehran limited itself to humanitarian rhetoric, calling for an end to bloodshed and advocating for negotiated solutions. This approach stemmed from Iran’s desire to break out of international isolation and bolster its standing in the Islamic world. Notably, in 1998, Iran opposed U.S. bombings of Iraq, despite the fact that just a decade earlier, Saddam Hussein had waged a devastating war against Iran, claiming hundreds of thousands of Iranian lives.
Moreover, Iran never questioned Russia’s territorial integrity. This is evidenced by an official report on the 2004 visit of Sergei Mironov, Deputy Speaker of the Russian Federation Council, to Iran: “It was one of the few countries in the Islamic world that supported Russia in its fight against international terrorism in Chechnya and never allowed separatists to use its territory for any activities. Furthermore, thanks to Iran’s efforts, not a single anti-Russian resolution was adopted within the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).”
This perspective is corroborated by Lana Ravandi-Fadai, a specialist in Russian-Iranian relations and a researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences:
—Lana Medzhidovna, we were discussing how, after the collapse of the USSR, Iran—unlike Turkey, which actively sought to patronize Turkic-speaking populations on our territory—pursued a more balanced foreign policy and avoided antagonizing its neighbor. Accordingly, during the Chechen wars, Iran did not play the card of supporting an ‘oppressed Muslim people’?”
—Iran viewed the two counter-terrorism campaigns in Chechnya as Russia’s internal affair. Moreover, according to former Iranian Ambassador to Russia Seyed Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi (in an interview with *Economic Strategies* magazine, 2011), Iran effectively defended Russia before other Muslim states that misunderstood the events in Chechnya, preventing a sharp deterioration in Russia’s relations with the Islamic world. Furthermore, Iran facilitated Russia’s membership in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Development.
This position is further supported by former Iranian Ambassador to Russia Seyed Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi:
The war in Chechnya was a provocation by the United States and Saudi Arabia, aimed at tarnishing Russia’s image in the Islamic world. Even now, in Iran, there are pro-Western newspapers that try to portray Russia as a godless country that cannot be trusted. When I visit Iran, I give lectures at universities, sharing information about your country. Students are surprised to learn that there are many believers in Russia. Some still think you are staunch communists. I explain to them that Russians are often more steadfast in their faith in God than some of us.
Another argument against the myth of “Iranian support for Chechens” lies in the history of military-technical cooperation between Moscow and Tehran. In the 1990s, Russia actively supplied Iran with arms until the U.S. pressured the Kremlin into signing the Gore-Chernomyrdin Memorandum, which curtailed this trade. However, in 2000, with Vladimir Putin’s rise to power, Russia withdrew from this agreement, signaling an intent to restore strategic partnership with Iran. Would Russia logically cooperate with a state that allegedly supported Chechen militants? The answer is clear.
The spread of anti-Iranian disinformation in Russian media raises the question: who benefits? The answer is apparent. Russia and Iran are strategic partners today, jointly countering Western hegemony. The two nations fought side by side in Syria, saving the country from a terrorist threat. Iran was the first to provide Russia with military-technical assistance during the special military operation. Additionally, Tehran plays a pivotal role in developing the North-South International Transport Corridor, which grants Russia access to markets in India and the Indo-Pacific region.
Disinformation campaigns aimed at discrediting Iran appear to be attempts to undermine this partnership. Given that such narratives are often accompanied by pro-Zionist rhetoric, it is reasonable to suspect that their source lies with forces interested in bolstering Israel’s influence in the Middle East and weakening the Russian-Iranian axis.
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