Source: Los Angeles Times
by Robert A Pape
“On April 21, 1996, Russian forces executed one of the most precise assassinations of the modern era. The target was Dzhokhar Dudayev, leader of Chechnya’s separatist war against Moscow. … When U.S. strikes failed to kill Moammar Kadafi in 1986 or Saddam Hussein numerous times in the 1990s, many airpower advocates concluded near misses were the problem. If the leader actually died, the regime would fracture. Russia — with a critical U.S. assist — proved the execution could be perfected.
But execution was never the core variable. Leadership assassination in international disputes does not simply remove authority; it redistributes it under emotional mobilization.” (03/01/26)