Chechnya, situated geopolitically and strategically in Russia’s way, is destabilised by Russian military intervention, terrorism by so-called ‘Salafist’ and Wahhabi militants, and internally by political problems, including separatism. The geopolitical stakes in the Chechen conflict reveal the true cause of this crisis: rich in raw materials, especially oil, the region is one of interstate rivalry. European and Russian negotiations should be able to reach a peaceful settlement of the problem, the economic and political stabilisation of the Caucasus and wider cooperation in this strategically important region.