Massively outnumbered and outgunned by the Russian military, the story of the Chechens' ability to hold and then humble them in the First Chechen War is an extraordinary one, hardly overshadowed by the Russians' capacity to learn from their mistakes in the Second. Through well-chosen case studies, this book explores the tactics of both sides and in the process becomes the best military study of this conflict yet."
—Mark Galeotti, Professor of Global Affairs at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University



"Fangs of the Lone Wolf sheds light on a poorly understood unconventional war and does so from a rare perspective, that of Chechens who fought against Russia from 1994 to 2009. Billingsley captures the voices of the Chechens from years of interviews conducted in Chechnya and in exile."
—Mark von Hagen, Professor of History and Global Studies at Arizona State University



"Dodge Billingsley saw the Chechen War from the inside. His insights into the extraordinary battle between one of the world's largest armies and the insurgents who fought it to a standstill are second to none."
— Thomas de Waal, Russia and Eurasia Program Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author A Small Victorious War



"The author's unique insights, enabled by his close working relationship with the Chechens, makes for a technical but interesting read. His narrative is blunt, honest and balanced and he does not shy away from critical conclusions of the Chechen efforts where warranted.."
—
Canadian Army Journal


“ … presents a unique and effective study of the soldiers, terrain and tactics of the complex and largely undocumented Chechen wars … essential reading for scholars of the region seeking deeper understanding of the combatants and their tactics, or for any interested reader trying to make sense of the seemingly endless conflict in Chechnya."
—Russian Review