December 9, 1999
Web posted at: 12:28 p.m. EST (1728 GMT)

From staff and wire reports

ACHKHOI-MARTAN, Russia (CNN) -- Russia's military claimed the capture of another key Chechen town Thursday as an East-West war of words reminiscent of the Cold War threatened to take center stage in the debate over Russia's two-and-a-half month Chechnya campaign.

Russian commanders said their troops had taken Urus-Martan after weeks of fierce fighting, shutting off another important road into Chechnya's capital, Grozny, 20 kilometers (12 miles) to the northeast.

Russian forces have claimed to control towns in Chechnya before, however, only to admit later that Islamic militants were still entrenched.

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Russia entered Chechnya in September, pursuing the rebels who had twice invaded the neighboring Russian republic of Dagestan. Chechnya is a breakaway republic left effectively out of Moscow's control following a 1994-1996 war that ended disastrously for the Russians.

Officials in Moscow also blame the rebels for a series of deadly bombings inside Russia, although the rebels have denied responsibility.

After swiftly taking control of most of Chechnya's northern third, Russian troops aimed for Grozny, where some 6,000 militants --- and as many as 40,000 civilians -- are believed to remain. But military officials say they will take Grozny with artillery and air power and have no intention of storming the city.

Earlier this week, Russia gave civilians until Saturday to evacuate Grozny, or be considered "terrorists and bandits" and destroyed. Russia promised to provide a safe corridor to leave the city, but the bombings have continued, making it practically impossible to leave.

More than 200,000 Chechens have already fled the republic, most to the neighboring republic of Ingushetia. Many of the civilians who remain in the capital are too ill, old, young or afraid to leave. The fate of civilians, both in Ingushetia and in Chechnya, has prompted heavy Western criticism.

U.S. President Bill Clinton launched the latest exchange on Wednesday, warning Russia would pay "a heavy price" for its Chechnya actions.

Boris Yeltsin followed Clinton with a stark reminder on Thursday that "Russia is a great power that possesses a nuclear arsenal."

"We aren't afraid at all of Clinton's anti-Russian position," said Yeltsin, in Beijing for meetings with top Chinese officials. "I want to tell President Clinton that he alone cannot dictate how the world should live, work and play. It is us who will dictate."

But Clinton shrugged off Yeltsin's criticism with a laugh, responding that the situation should not "get too serious."

"I haven't forgotten that (Russia still has nuclear weapons)," a smiling Clinton said during a Rose Garden appearance in Washington. "You know, I didn't think he'd forgotten America was a great power when he disagreed with what I did in Kosovo.

"Let's not talk about what the leaders are saying and all these words of criticism," he continued. "Let's focus on what the country is doing, is it right or wrong, will it work or not, what are the consequences. I don't agree with what's going on there, and I think I have an obligation to say so."

Clinton said that while Russia had a "legitimate goal ... to defeat the Chechen rebels" and end "their terrorism within Russia, ... I don't think displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians will achieve that goal."

In Beijing, Yeltsin received China's unqualified support for the Chechnya offensive.

Correspondent Matthew Chance, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report, written by KC Wildmoon.

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