GROZNY -- Chechen fighters took control of the town of Urus-Martan on Friday, some 30 kilometers south of the capital, while Russian forces were reported to have regained control of the republic's second city, Gudermes, large parts of which were seized by some 600 fighters in a bloody operation Thursday.
Military sources said 22 Russian soldiers had been killed and 41 wounded during the fighting in Gudermes, according to Interfax news agency. A further 38 were reported missing.
The timing of the occupation of Urus-Martan, coupled with the seizure of buildings in Gudermes, as voting went into its second day in the region, made it look like a concerted attempt to derail Moscow's plan for elections in Chechnya.
Polling stations were open in the troubled republic for a second day Friday, but voting appeared to be light.
A soldier at a checkpoint on the road east from Grozny to Gudermes said the Chechen fighters had killed 30 Russian soldiers. "They destroyed a whole column that approached the hospital, four tanks and one APC. Everyone was killed, just one man survived," he said.
A second column was then sent in, and it also was destroyed, he said. "They have sent in helicopters to collect the bodies now."
The rebels seized several key buildings, including the railroad station, the regional hospital and the military commandant's office, before being beaten back by troops supported by artillery and helicopter gunships.
"The situation in the city is under the control of federal forces," Interior Minister Anatoly Kulikov told Itar-Tass.
Heavy tank shelling sounded over the town mid-morning Friday, audible from the small village of Zhalko, some 5 kilometers from the town. No traffic was on the snowbound roads leading to the last checkpoint before the town, where soldiers ordered journalists away at gunpoint.
The Chechen fighters arrived in Urus-Martan without a fight Friday morning and announced they were taking over control of the town, traditionally opposed to rebel leader Dzhokhar Dudayev and controlled by Russian forces since the spring, reporters said.
In Moscow, Defense Minister Pavel Grachev confirmed that "big losses" had been suffered by Russian forces around Gudermes and warned of a tough response to further rebel operations:
"Maybe in the future it will be necessary to carry out actions, not on the scale of a year ago, but nevertheless no-nonsense military actions," Reuters quoted Grachev as saying.
Urus-Martan witnessed some ramshackle voting Thursday. WTN reporters in the town said they saw people filling in ballot papers on the main square, and with no registration or controls, stuffing ballots into a box standing outside on the main square.
Russian forces shelled the fighters' positions overnight with long-range artillery. Helicopters ran raids over the town until darkness fell. Smoke was seen rising from burning buildings. Heavy explosions resounded most of the night from Grad missiles and tank shells, reporters on the scene said. Small arms fire crackled throughout, finally subsiding at dawn.
Some 250 Russian soldiers and 50 Chechen police were based in Gudermes when the attack began at 4 a.m. Thursday, said Vladimir Zorin, head of the Moscow-appointed administration in Grozny. The military was strengthening its position with reinforcements, he said. The attack was the rebels' attempt to disrupt elections, he said.
One soldier complained that the army was restricted from using its full force because it feared causing casualties among the civilians living in the town. He blamed Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin for his move to hold peace talks with the rebel forces, which prevented the army from finishing off the Chechen rebels. "A wounded beast is dangerous," he said.
Grozny remained quiet, despite the reports of nearby fighting. Polling stations were open in the city. "People are voting despite the threat of the fighters. They are trying to prevent them, but people are voting," said Zorin, who is running for a seat in the state Duma.
"We need order and a strong power in Chechnya."
"And we, in the meantime, are the cannon fodder," he said.
tied the army's hands and
Military sources said 22 Russian soldiers had been killed and 41 wounded during the fighting in Gudermes, according to Interfax news agency. A further 38 were reported missing.
The timing of the occupation of Urus-Martan, coupled with the seizure of buildings in Gudermes, as voting went into its second day in the region, made it look like a concerted attempt to derail Moscow's plan for elections in Chechnya.
Polling stations were open in the troubled republic for a second day Friday, but voting appeared to be light.
A soldier at a checkpoint on the road east from Grozny to Gudermes said the Chechen fighters had killed 30 Russian soldiers. "They destroyed a whole column that approached the hospital, four tanks and one APC. Everyone was killed, just one man survived," he said.
A second column was then sent in, and it also was destroyed, he said. "They have sent in helicopters to collect the bodies now."
The rebels seized several key buildings, including the railroad station, the regional hospital and the military commandant's office, before being beaten back by troops supported by artillery and helicopter gunships.
"The situation in the city is under the control of federal forces," Interior Minister Anatoly Kulikov told Itar-Tass.
Heavy tank shelling sounded over the town mid-morning Friday, audible from the small village of Zhalko, some 5 kilometers from the town. No traffic was on the snowbound roads leading to the last checkpoint before the town, where soldiers ordered journalists away at gunpoint.
The Chechen fighters arrived in Urus-Martan without a fight Friday morning and announced they were taking over control of the town, traditionally opposed to rebel leader Dzhokhar Dudayev and controlled by Russian forces since the spring, reporters said.
In Moscow, Defense Minister Pavel Grachev confirmed that "big losses" had been suffered by Russian forces around Gudermes and warned of a tough response to further rebel operations:
"Maybe in the future it will be necessary to carry out actions, not on the scale of a year ago, but nevertheless no-nonsense military actions," Reuters quoted Grachev as saying.
Urus-Martan witnessed some ramshackle voting Thursday. WTN reporters in the town said they saw people filling in ballot papers on the main square, and with no registration or controls, stuffing ballots into a box standing outside on the main square.
Russian forces shelled the fighters' positions overnight with long-range artillery. Helicopters ran raids over the town until darkness fell. Smoke was seen rising from burning buildings. Heavy explosions resounded most of the night from Grad missiles and tank shells, reporters on the scene said. Small arms fire crackled throughout, finally subsiding at dawn.
Some 250 Russian soldiers and 50 Chechen police were based in Gudermes when the attack began at 4 a.m. Thursday, said Vladimir Zorin, head of the Moscow-appointed administration in Grozny. The military was strengthening its position with reinforcements, he said. The attack was the rebels' attempt to disrupt elections, he said.
One soldier complained that the army was restricted from using its full force because it feared causing casualties among the civilians living in the town. He blamed Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin for his move to hold peace talks with the rebel forces, which prevented the army from finishing off the Chechen rebels. "A wounded beast is dangerous," he said.
Grozny remained quiet, despite the reports of nearby fighting. Polling stations were open in the city. "People are voting despite the threat of the fighters. They are trying to prevent them, but people are voting," said Zorin, who is running for a seat in the state Duma.
"We need order and a strong power in Chechnya."
"And we, in the meantime, are the cannon fodder," he said.
tied the army's hands and
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