December 13, 1999
Web posted at: 3:57 a.m. EST (0857 GMT)

In this story: Yeltsin defends campaign Few civilians leaving Grozny RELATED STORIES, SITES

MOZDOK, Russia (CNN) -- Russian troops captured a key airfield on the outskirts of the Chechen capital Grozny on Monday and threatened to destroy a nearby town unless its residents turn out the Muslim militants who now hold it.

The airfield at Khankala, just a few hundred meters (yards) from the center of Grozny, is considered an important strategic objective. The large air force base served as a staging area for Russian troops during the 1994-96 war that left Chechnya largely outside Moscow's reach.

Russian troops were also advancing on the town of Shali, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Grozny. The town is one of the last held by the Chechens, and Russian Gen. Gennady Troshev bluntly warned its residents to push out the rebels before the Russians arrived.

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"Shali will be cleansed, and if someone is left there, they will simply be destroyed," Troshev said. "Of course there will be bloodshed, but war is war."

Russia moved against Chechnya in September after incursions by the guerrillas into the neighboring Russian republic of Dagestan. Russian authorities also blame the militants for a series of bombings that killed about 300 people.

Yeltsin defends campaign

Russian President Boris Yeltsin reiterated Russia's commitment to the nearly three-month-old campaign, saying Sunday that the Islamic guerrillas Moscow is fighting "have held an entire people in fear."

"They have tried to go back to the Middle Ages," Yeltsin said. "Our duty is to protect Russian citizens and restore law and order in this territory."

His comments came during ceremonies marking the sixth anniversary of Russia's constitution in Moscow. Yeltsin again rejected Western demands to moderate its campaign against Chechnya.

Few civilians leaving Grozny

Monday's advances on the ground came as Russia again stayed its campaign of air and artillery bombardment of Chechnya's capital in hopes of convincing civilians to leave the city along two roads it controls.

An estimated 10,000 to 40,000 noncombatants are still inside Grozny, many of them afraid to leave. Russian planes dropped leaflets last week urging them to flee by Saturday or face a massive bombardment: That deadline was extended indefinitely after the plan was criticized in the West.

Russian officials have claimed that Chechen militants were keeping civilians in the capital to use them as human shields. But refugees have denied the charge, saying those who stayed in Grozny were too old or infirm to move.

And amid reports that Russian attacks have injured or killed many civilians, Chechens regarded the promise of safe passage with great skepticism.

"I don't believe in these safe corridors," said one injured Chechen in a hospital. "In the past, they've declared them, then shot at refugee columns passing through. There's still too little trust and too much fear."

Correspondents Steve Harrigan and Matthew Chance contributed to this report.

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