The study gives a historical outline of the Chechen-Russian war. This war – in contrast to public opinion and mainstream literature – has been fought for economic, political-territorial and social purposes, and as regards its origin, it is the result of the postsocialist transition. Raw materials – especially oil – and the control of the trading routes have caused great excitement for the different groups of oligarchs in Chechnya up to now, while people may think that they are experiencing an ethnic war.