Buynaksk
Encyclopedia
Buynaksk is a town in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia
, located at the foothills of the Greater Caucasus
on the Shura-Ozen River, 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) southwest of the republic's capital Makhachkala
. Population: 40,000 (1970).
Buynaksk was founded in 1834 as a fortified outpost Temir-Khan-Shura near the ruins of medieval Balanjar
. It was granted town status in 1866. In 1920, it was the center of the ephemeral Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus
. On November 13, 1920, the government of the Russian SFSR declared Dagestan's autonomy during the congress of Dagestani people, which took place in Temir-Khan-Shura. In 1922 the town was renamed Buynaksk in honor of a revolutionary Ullubiy Buynaksky. In May 1970, Buynaksk was badly damaged by an earthquake
.
In 1999, a car bomb outside an apartment building housing the families of military officers killed 64 people.
On August 13, 2009, Buynaksk was the site of two attacks associated with the growing violence throughout Dagestan and neighboring Chechnya
. About ten men first opened fire with automatic weapons on a police post, killing four officers. The gunmen then entered a nearby sauna complex and killed seven female employees.
Three soldiers were killed, and 32 were wounded, in a suicide car-bombing at a military base in the city on September 5, 2010. The driver of a Zhiguli
automobile smashed through a gate at the base and headed for an area where soldiers were quartered in tents. Soldiers opened fire on the car before it reached the centre of the base. The driver then rammed the car into a military truck, where it exploded. After the blast, a roadside bomb hit a car taking investigators to the scene, but no injuries were reported in the second explosion.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located at the foothills of the Greater Caucasus
Greater Caucasus
Greater Caucasus , sometimes translated as "Caucasus Major", "Big Caucasus" or "Large Caucasus") is the major mountain range of the Caucasus Mountains....
on the Shura-Ozen River, 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) southwest of the republic's capital Makhachkala
Makhachkala
-Twin towns/sister cities:Makhachkala is twinned with: Sfax, Tunisia Siping, China Spokane, United States Vladikavkaz, Russia Yalova, Turkey Ndola, Zambia-See also:*...
. Population: 40,000 (1970).
Buynaksk was founded in 1834 as a fortified outpost Temir-Khan-Shura near the ruins of medieval Balanjar
Balanjar
Balanjar was a medieval city located in the North Caucasus region, between the cities of Derbent and Samandar, probably on the lower Sulak River. It flourished from the seventh to the tenth centuries CE...
. It was granted town status in 1866. In 1920, it was the center of the ephemeral Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus
Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus
The Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus was a short-lived state situated in the Northern Caucasus...
. On November 13, 1920, the government of the Russian SFSR declared Dagestan's autonomy during the congress of Dagestani people, which took place in Temir-Khan-Shura. In 1922 the town was renamed Buynaksk in honor of a revolutionary Ullubiy Buynaksky. In May 1970, Buynaksk was badly damaged by an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
.
In 1999, a car bomb outside an apartment building housing the families of military officers killed 64 people.
On August 13, 2009, Buynaksk was the site of two attacks associated with the growing violence throughout Dagestan and neighboring Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
. About ten men first opened fire with automatic weapons on a police post, killing four officers. The gunmen then entered a nearby sauna complex and killed seven female employees.
Three soldiers were killed, and 32 were wounded, in a suicide car-bombing at a military base in the city on September 5, 2010. The driver of a Zhiguli
AvtoVAZ
AvtoVAZ is the Russian automobile manufacturer formerly known as VAZ: Volzhsky Avtomobilny Zavod , but better known to the world under the trade name Lada. The company was established in the late 1960s in collaboration with Fiat...
automobile smashed through a gate at the base and headed for an area where soldiers were quartered in tents. Soldiers opened fire on the car before it reached the centre of the base. The driver then rammed the car into a military truck, where it exploded. After the blast, a roadside bomb hit a car taking investigators to the scene, but no injuries were reported in the second explosion.