In comments published in Thursday's Segodnya, Lebed said the 14th Army, the unit he commands in the breakaway Transdnestr region, "under no circumstances" will serve in the war in Chechnya.
There were, though, two exceptions. First, Lebed said he would be glad to serve in Chechnya, but only to supervise a troop withdrawal. Second, in a television interview earlier this week, he said he would also happily march on Grozny if his troops were made up of legislators' and government officials' sons.
But it is not surprising that Lebed should speak out against the military operation in Chechnya, as many generals already have done. Lebed is extremely popular with enlisted men, has a reputation as a bit of a maverick and is often critical of the army.
It is also fairly easy for Lebed to announce that his troops will not fight in Chechnya, because they are safely tucked away in Moldova. A defense official Thursday said sending the 14th Army to Chechnya is not under consideration.
Lebed, who is currently in Moldova, could not be reached Thursday and his aide, Colonel Mikhail Bergman, would not comment on the general's remarks.
Lebed is only one in a recent in a string of high-ranking generals who have lambasted the government over events in Chechnya. Already, General Ivan Babichev has refused to lead troops into Chechnya, saying he would not fire on innocent citizens. Then army Deputy Commander Eduard Vorobyov submitted his resignation -- it was rejected -- when he was asked to lead the operation.
General Boris Gromov, who led the Russian Army out of Afghanistan, also took a swipe at Moscow's foray into Chechnya this week, saying the country learned nothing after its 10-year fiasco in Kabul.
And finally, General Georgy Kondratyev was said to have rejected an assignment in Chechnya.
The Defense Ministry has responded by reportedly calling for disobedient heads to roll at the highest echelons, but to date, no firings have been confirmed.
Defense officials say the firings, if they occur, will come from the president's administration.
Gromov, according to a defense spokesman who would not give his name, was visiting an army hospital Thursday and specifically told wounded soldiers he was visiting in his capacity as a deputy defense minister.
The spokesman also said that personally, he respects Lebed and his remarks. As for the other generals, he dismissed their critiques.
"The only people who are talking are the people here on the Arbat," he said, referring to the Defense Ministry. "You're not hearing anything from the people who are down there fighting. To get an objective picture, you have to hear to both sides."
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