Camille Desmoulins vs Shamil Basayev

Desmoulins published 'La France Libre', a radical pamphlet calling for a republic and the overthrow of the monarchy. The pamphlet was widely circulated and established him as a revolutionary journalist.

On July 12, 1789, Desmoulins jumped onto a table at the Palais-Royal and urged the crowd to take up arms against the king's troops. This speech helped spark the storming of the Bastille two days later.

Desmoulins launched 'Le Vieux Cordelier', a newspaper that initially supported the Jacobins but later criticized the excesses of the Reign of Terror. The paper called for clemency and an end to the executions.

Desmoulins was arrested alongside Georges Danton on charges of conspiracy and leniency. He was tried and guillotined on April 5, 1794, becoming a victim of the Terror he had criticized.

Basayev led a raid on the Russian town of Budyonnovsk, taking over 1,000 hostages in a hospital. The crisis ended with a negotiated settlement that allowed him to return to Chechnya. This attack demonstrated Chechen reach into Russia.

Basayev led Chechen and Islamist fighters into Dagestan to support local rebels. This invasion triggered the Second Chechen War as Russia responded with a full-scale military campaign. The invasion failed to gain local support.

Basayev orchestrated the Moscow theater hostage crisis, where Chechen militants took 850 people hostage. Russian forces ended the siege with gas, killing 130 hostages. The attack increased international condemnation of Chechen rebels.

Basayev planned the Beslan school siege, where militants took over 1,100 people hostage. The siege ended in a bloody assault, resulting in 334 deaths, mostly children. This attack was widely condemned globally.

Basayev was killed in Ingushetia when a truck loaded with explosives detonated. Russian intelligence claimed responsibility. His death removed the most prominent Chechen rebel commander.