Russian soldiers carry food near Grozny with snow-covered tanks in the background

November 10, 1999
Web posted at: 8:14 p.m. EST (0114 GMT)

In this story: Conditions in tent city grim Chechen leader seeks intervention Jets attack rebel strongholds Weather turns fiercely cold RELATED STORIES, SITES

MOSCOW -- While the humanitarian crisis in the Caucasus continues to fester, Ruslan Aushev, leader of the region coping with an influx of Chechen refugees, says Russia's offensive against the breakaway republic of Chechnya is politically motivated.

Russia is chasing goals other than combating terrorism in Chechnya, Aushev, president of Ingushetia, said Wednesday.

"Everything going on in the North Caucasus suits political developments in Russia, and specifically elections to the State Duma and the presidency," Aushev told a news conference.

Russia's parliamentary election is scheduled for next month. The presidential vote is to be held next year.

Conditions in tent city grim

Ingushetia has been coping with an influx of refugees for the past several weeks. Moscow, which claims to be pursuing Islamic rebels, sent troops into the area in September.

Angry and frightened refugees in Sleptsovskaya pleaded for help Wednesday as international officials toured a tent city where thousands of people huddled in freezing cold and snow.

"They are killing us both morally and physically," one woman shouted as a delegation from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) received a firsthand look at the refugees' plight.

Conditions in Ingushetia were grim, OSCE officials said. Up to 200,000 people have fled fighting in neighboring Chechnya since September. Many now live in tents.

"We can't pretend to know every detail, but what we have seen during our brief visit is a significant humanitarian problem," said delegation leader Kim Traavik, a Norwegian diplomat.

Chechen leader seeks intervention

Chechen women and children cross the Chechen-Ingushet border

Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov issued a plea Wednesday for the international community to intervene and stop the war, but Moscow showed no sign of slowing its campaign.

"As president of Chechnya, responsible before Allah and the people, I appeal to the world community ... to combine efforts in preventing the elimination of Chechnya's people," he said.

Maskhadov claims 4,126 Chechens have been killed and more than 8,500 wounded.

NATO Secretary-General George Robertson and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer jointly asked for Russia to negotiate with Chechnya and end the civilian suffering.

"We were both of the opinion that there must be a political solution in Chechnya and not a military one. We hope that the weapons will soon be silenced," Fischer told a news conference after meeting Robertson in Berlin.

"I will follow this to the end," said Col.-Gen. Viktor Kazantsev, Russia's top Chechnya commander, in the Trud daily.

Jets attack rebel strongholds

Russian soldiers march on a raid against Islamic militants near Bamut

Russian forces, meanwhile, continued to bomb Chechnya, with jets attacking rebel positions in the southern mountains and around some towns. The military said its jets flew more than 60 sorties Wednesday, according to the ITAR-Tass News Agency.

The Russian military claimed to have destroyed eight rebel strongholds, a telephone exchange, a command post and seven vehicles, as well as mining almost 12 miles of roads. There was no way to confirm the claims.

Weather turns fiercely cold

Short of heavy weapons, disunited and poorly organized, Chechen forces have found it difficult to strike back -- or carry out little more than hit-and-run attacks.

"The (Russian) military is using its firepower superiority to the hilt, avoiding infantry engagements and pounding the enemy from a distance," said Pavel Felgenhauer, an independent military analyst.

The weather across the North Caucasus region, mostly mild for weeks, turned fiercely cold and snowy this week, raising the urgency of efforts to provide aid. The OSCE delegation expressed concern about rising cases of tuberculosis, inadequate winter heating, cramped conditions and lack of food.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.