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The history of the Chechen capital has its roots in the era of the beginning of the Caucasus war. In 1817 General Yermolov started the advance of the left flank of the Caucasus line to the south, from the river Terek to Sunzha. In its middle reach the Sunzha line was formed, which was a system of border fortifications of the Russian troops with the goal of defending the Cossack villages from the raids of the highlanders and also for communications with Transcaucasia.
In place of several destroyed Chechen auls, in 6 versts from the entrance to the Khankal ravine, on June 10, 1818, the construction of a fortress had started with the purpose to block the exit from the ravine for the highlanders. Its construction was implemented by soldiers of the Russian army in the course of several months and was finished by October 1818. At that time the exit from the Khankal ravine was the place of the fiercest battles, so the fortress was called Groznaya (Formidable). It represented a regular hexagon, each corner of which was a rampart with a cannon. The fortress was surrounded with a 20-meter ditch along the perimeter. There was a large garrison placed inside the fortress, 9 companies of rangers and 400 Cossacks. In autumn of 1825, when during the Beybulat rebellion the Chechen troops captured the Ammir-Adja-Yurt redoubt, which was situated nearby, they tried to storm the Groznaya fortress too. However, their attack was repelled, and the rebellion was soon crushed. In 1840, Mikhail Lermontov served in this fortress, and in 1851–1854 Lev Tolstoy visited it several times.
In late 19th century, oil production began in the vicinity of the city. By 1870 the Groznaya fortress lost its strategic significance and was transformed into a district city of the Tersk region. During the Civil War, the power in the city belonged by turns to the Bolsheviks, the Chechen council and the Vrangel troops. From 1936, Grozny became the capital of the Chechen-Ingush ASSR.
At the moment of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War Grozny, together with Baku, was one of the centers of the Soviet oil production as well as the most industrially developed city of the Northern Caucasus – 80% of all the Soviet aircraft used the aircraft gasoline from Grozny. Already in late June of 1941 by the order of the government the Grozny plants started creating new brands of gasoline for the army; this process was finished by early 1942. Practically all the fuel for tanks and cars that beat the Nazis under Prokhorovka and then reached Berlin came from Grozny and Baku.
In early summer of 1942, the German groups of armies A and South approached Terek with the goal of capturing the Grozny oil field. A direct threat of seizure of the city emerged. The northern direction of the Transcaucasus front was defended by the 10th Sapper Army, which included battalions composed of the inhabitants of the city. German diversionists and spies were already landing in its vicinity; however, the German assault was stopped. Then mass bombardments of Grozny began. Between October 10 and October 15, 1942, German aircraft completely destroyed oil fields, oil reservoirs and oil refinery plants. Huge fires started, which were put out within several days due to the courage of the firefighters. At the price of their own life, they stopped the flames and saved not only the city but also the oil production so much needed by the country. The industry of Grozny was restored in the shortest possible time, and the delivery of oil products for the need of the army continued.
On April 6, 2015, Grozny was awarded the title of a City of Military Glory for the courage and heroism of its inhabitants shown during the Great Patriotic War.
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