Russian officials concede that federal forces are having trouble overcoming the rebels

January 25, 2000
Web posted at: 10:25 a.m. EST (1525 GMT)

In this story: Strong resistance in Grozny Fears of EU sanctions RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

MOSCOW -- Russia's military has acknowledged that more than 900 Russian troops have been killed in fighting against rebels in the breakaway region of Chechnya and in neighboring Dagestan, Itar-Tass news agency reported on Tuesday.

It said military headquarters in the North Caucasus gave the figures in its first tally for several weeks for total losses among the regular army and Interior Ministry troops.

Interfax news agency had quoted sources in the security forces on Monday as saying the death toll in Chechnya and Dagestan totaled more than 1,000.

The military had continued to report daily figures, mostly in low single digits, since the start of the year, despite an upsurge in the fighting.

Commercial television station NTV had questioned the figures given by the military. In a report first broadcast on Sunday, NTV said the number of bodies passing through Rostov military hospital in southern Russia often reached 30 a day and that 10 times more were being killed than reported.

Russia has fought rebels in Chechnya for four months but before that faced an attack by Chechen-led guerrillas on Dagestan.

Fierce fighting on the streets of Grozny continues

Strong resistance in Grozny

Russian and Chechen commanders reported intensified fighting around Minutka Square in Grozny on Tuesday, where the Russian advance has been stalled for days. The square is near a key, Russian-held bridge across the Sunzha River that cuts through the city.

Aslanbek Ismailov, the rebel commander in Grozny, said that in some districts of the Chechen capital his fighters had switched from trying to hold on to positions to hit-and-run attacks, striking Russian troops from behind.

The Russians claim to control most of Grozny, though troops are often taking city blocks by day only to abandon them at night in fear of rebel ambushes.

Russian officials conceded that federal forces were having trouble overcoming the rebels, who are operating in bands of no more than 15 fighters and are moving about the city frequently.

Military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said firepower may not be enough for Russia to take Grozny.

"If you use conventional shells and conventional bombs in a modern city, you turn the buildings into rubble. but even in the rubble, a determined infantry force can fight," Felgenhauer said. "To really take a city, the Russians need good infantry. And their main problem right now is they don't have any good infantry at all."

But political analyst Andrei Kortunov said that the Russians will need more than military strength to win the battle in Grozny.

"You cannot resolve the problem through sheer power. You cannot solve the problem by military means only. You need to have some political dialog," Kortunov said.

An estimated 240,000 people have fled Chechnya since the fighting began, most crowding into camps in the neighboring Russian region of Ingushetia. On Monday, authorities announced that refugees would no longer be fed if they were from areas now held by Russian troops and considered to be safe.

A familiar scene in Grozny

Fears of EU sanctions

Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov was quoted Tuesday saying that he hoped the European Union would not impose any sanctions on Moscow over its military offensive in Chechnya.

"Our position on Chechnya is based on clear facts and logic," Kasyanov was quoted by RIA news agency as saying. "We would not like to believe that the European Union would anyway take a decision on sanctions."

The foreign ministers of the 15-member Union have authorized the EU's executive commission to carry out proposals agreed at a Helsinki summit last month for mild steps against Russia over the use of disproportionate force in Chechnya.

Any sanctions are expected to involve a redirection of aid to Russia rather than a suspension.

Russia has made clear it is not going to stop what it calls its anti-terrorist operation in Chechnya, which started four months ago. Russia has said it wants to wipe out Chechen rebels which it accuses of planting bombs in Moscow and invading Dagestan.

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

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