The Russo-Caucasian conflict is a protracted ethnic and political struggle between various North Caucasian peoples and Russian, Soviet, and Imperial Russian authorities. This conflict dates back to the 16th century, as Russian forces sought to expand southward. Various Caucasian groups, including Abazins, Abkhazians, Circassians, Chechens, Ingush, Karachay-Balkars, Ossetians and Dagestanis (various Dagestani nations), resisted Russian control through both armed and diplomatic means. The conflict’s modern phase intensified following the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, with separatist aspirations and resistance movements that continued to face suppression into the 21st century.[3][4][5]