First Chechen War: Russian paramilitary troops began a massacre of hundreds of civilians in Samashki, Chechnya.

The First Chechen War, also referred to as the First Russo-Chechen War, was a conflict between the separatist Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and the Russian Federation from 1994 to 1996. After a mutually agreed on treaty and terms, the Russians withdrew until they invaded again three years later, in the Second Chechen War of 1999–2009.

A paramilitary is a force or unit that functions and is organized in a manner analogous to a military force, but does not have professional or legitimate status. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934.

The Samashki massacre was the mass murder of Chechen civilians by Russian Forces in April 1995 during the First Chechen War. Hundreds of Chechen civilians died as result of a Russian "cleansing operation" and the bombardment of the village. Most of the victims were shot at close range or killed by grenades thrown into basements where they were hiding. Others were burned alive or were shot while trying to escape their burning houses. Much of the village was destroyed and the local school blown up by Russian forces as they withdrew. The incident attracted wide attention in Russia and abroad.

Samashki is a rural locality in Achkhoy-Martanovsky District, Chechnya. Samashki is the administrative center and only settlement of the Samashkinskoye rural settlement. Its population was estimated at 12,769 in 2021.