A battle between Russian troops and Chechen rebels rages in Grozny

January 21, 2000
Web posted at: 2:19 p.m. EST (1919 GMT)

In this story: Fierce Chechen resistance earning respect Many wounded Putin meeting with dignitaries RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

GROZNY, Russia (CNN) -- Chechen rebels are crawling through underground passages to mount surprise attacks on Russian troops in the capital of Grozny, while Russian forces use tanks and artillery to pulverize buildings sheltering Chechen snipers.

Meanwhile, Russian Acting President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned Russians there is a growing risk the rebels will stage terrorist attacks in Russia.

"The danger of terrorist acts is growing and will exist until we finish off the bandits in Chechnya," Putin told top Interior Ministry officials.

After five days of savage street combat, Russian forces have failed to capture the heart of Grozny, with rebel fighters in control of the city center.

A map shows the areas of concentrated fighting

A military statement, reported by Russian news agencies, acknowledged fighting was continuing for control over downtown Minutka Square and a strategic bridge over the Sunzha River, previously said to have been seized by the Russians.

The buildings that still stand in the Chechen capital are bombed-out shells. Russian tanks now fire directly into downtown Grozny.

The Russian command says small bands of rebel fighters are cutting off Russian units from the main forces.

Mystery still surrounded the fate of a Russian general who went missing in Grozny on Tuesday. The military said Maj. Gen. Mikhail Malofeyev is not on the lists those dead or taken prisoner in Chechnya.

Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev refused to speculate about Malofeyev, saying only that he had been sent to Grozny "to intensify troop operations" and "got into a complicated situation."

A Chechen commander claimed Friday that Malofeyev had been taken prisoner and was undergoing interrogation.

"Malofeyev is absolutely healthy and is answering investigators' questions," Baudi Bakuyev was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. He said the Russian military would soon receive a videotape proving the Chechens were holding the general.

But Moscow still claims to have the upper hand in the battle for Grozny. The military says 80 rebels were killed in the city on Thursday. RTR state television quoted military officials as saying aircraft had flown more than 160 sorties to strike rebel targets. That figure would be among the highest daily totals since the fighting started in September.

Fierce Chechen resistance earning respect

Russian troops on the outskirts of the Chechen capital

"The closer you move to the center, the stronger the resistance gets," said one officer. "They are fanatics. But little by little we are moving forward."

The advance, though, is far from steady. Soldiers are being pinned down in parts of Grozny by rebels firing from high- rise buildings even as tanks and helicopter gunships blast the buildings where the sharpshooters are holed up.

"It's too hot to go in there now," said one solider.

Russian reconnaissance reports Chechen militants have built a series of bunkers behind the apartment houses they occupy.

Many wounded

"We've had a lot of wounded in the past two days," says this Russian soldier

"We've had a ton of wounded in the past two days, wounded and killed all over the place," one soldier said.

Earlier, some officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that about 20 soldiers from one regiment in Grozny were killed when rebels sneaked through sewage tunnels to strike the Russians from the rear.

Some Russian soldiers also are complaining that their equipment and munitions are outdated.

"It's useless to pound the rebels with shells dating back to 1952," growled Lt. Col. Dmitry Tsybin, watching a tank bombardment Thursday. "These shells produce only noise and have very little destructive power. I haven't seen newer shells, say at least from the 1980s, used here."

Fighting also continues near the mouth of the southern Argun Gorge, a key area in the steep southern mountains where thousands of rebels are believed to be hiding.

Putin meeting with dignitaries

At Friday's Interior Ministry meeting in Moscow, Putin said the apartment bombings came as Russian troops beat back the rebel insurgence in Dagestan. He said now that the fighting in Chechnya is nearing an end, Russia could expect a new wave of terrorism.

"You recall what happened in Moscow, Buinaksk and Volgodonsk when we smashed the bandits' faces in Dagestan, when they felt how weak they were in direct combat with us," he said.

Putin, who took over the Russian presidency when Boris Yeltsin stepped down on New Year's Eve, is holding a series of meetings with dignitaries from other countries and the war in Chechnya is said to be a main topic. Western leaders have strongly criticized the war in Chechnya.

Putin met with Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini on Thursday. He hosts German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer Friday. And U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visits Russia next week.

Correspondent Steve Harrigan, Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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