Around 1785, the conflict between Chechnya and Russia began and is still going on today. In the beginning, Russia had no interest in the Caucasus region, except for its use as a communication track to one of its allies, Georgia. As Russian-allied Cossacks started settling there, Russian movement started expanding in the Caucasus Mountain region. Russia seized control of Ossetia, signed the Treaty of Georgievsk and gained Georgia as a territory, and manufactured a road and military forts for security of its passageway. This made the Chechens feel endangered. At the same time, the Russians began to feel threatened by the Chechens. They felt threatened because a Chechen imam, Sheikh Mansur, started to preach a different style of Islam. The Russians
