Russian apartment bombings
The Russian apartment bombings were a series of explosions that hit four apartment blocks in the Russian cities of Buynaksk, Moscow and Volgodonsk in September 1999, killing more than 300, injuring more than 1000, and spreading a wave of fear across the country. The bombings, along with the Invasion of Dagestan, triggered the Second Chechen War. Then Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's handling of the crisis boosted his popularity greatly and helped him attain the presidency within a few months.