Let's not overlook the very distinct possibility that this whole mess with Chechnya was dreamed up to benefit Putin's candidacy, and to distract from Boris Yeltsin's legal problems - which of course were solved by Putin's pardon immediately after his election.
Yeltsin gave Chechnya their independence, Putin took it away. Chechnya has been simmering under Soviet style domination for ten years.
Can you say Reichstag fire?