Aslan Maskhadov was a Chechen military and political leader who played a prominent role in the Chechen independence movement against Russia. A former Soviet artillery officer, he was the chief of staff of the Chechen forces during the First Chechen War, credited with the Chechen victory in the Battle of Grozny in 1996. He was elected the third President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in January 1997, a position he held until his death. Maskhadov was killed in a special operation by Russian security forces in Tolstoy-Yurt, Chechnya, in March 2005, ending his leadership of the insurgency.