1999 Russian apartment bombings

From September 4-16, a series of bombings occurred in multiple apartment blocks resulting in the deaths of more than 300 and injuring an additional 1700 more.

 Perpetrators 
Russian officials initially claimed that the perpetrators were Russian and foreign Islamic fighters presumably fighting for the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. But the authenticity of these claims has been disputed since none of the perpetrators seemed to be Chechen themselves, and the event caused Putin to rise to presidency.

 Second Chechen War 
The bombings was one of the main reasons for the start of the Second Chechen War. Putin aimed to justify the war by using the bombing and other events like the Dagestan War, comparing the campaign to U.S. anti-terrorist actions and emphasizing its precision in targeting terrorist bases to avoid civilian casualties.

 References 

Category:1990s in Russia
Category:1990s building bombings
Category:1999 disasters