RUSSIA-CHECHNYA: Moscow Says Its Troops Have Sealed Off Grozny

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

MOSCOW, Dec 23 1994 (IPS) - Russia Friday said its armed forces had sealed the Chechen capital of Grozny while its bombers continued to rain bombs from the skies over the breakaway republic.

The Russian government press service stated that the troops which were sent into Chechnya on Dec. 11 had completed the “planned stage of their operation”.

There were expectations that Russian President Boris Yeltsin would unveil a fresh plan for peace in a televised address, but no confirmation was possible.

It is expected that after sealing Grozny, Russian troops may be asked to dig in for a lengthy siege designed to force a surrender by Chechen President Jokhar Dudayev, who declared independence of this tiny northern Caucasian republic in 1991.

But Moscow is also reinforcing its military presence in Chechnya, with new troops being deployed from Siberia, the Urals and special marine units. Official sources Friday said that 44 Russian soldiers had died so far in combat, with another 116 injured. Of those dead, 24 belonged to the army.

The government moved swiftly to squash earlier reports of growing dissent in the army, with the Russian defence ministry denying that top commanders of the north Caucasian military district had been sacked.

However, Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin Friday appeared to confirm the dismissals during a visit to New Delhi, India, when he shrugged off suggestions that the dismissals were linked to the situation in Chechnya.

The official Russian Itar-Tass news agency reported that several Russian republics oppose the armed intervention against Chechnya.

Lawmakers in the communist-controlled republic of Buryatia — on the southern shores of Lake Baikal — stated that the “development in the Chechen republic threatens the integrity of Russia and creates additional barriers for stabilising the economy”.

Similarly, the parliament of the northern republic of Karelia — adjacent to Finland — adopted a statement which denounced the involvement of the army in the solution of internal problems of the Russian state, Tass reported.

And, the tiny central Russian republic of Chuvashia — on the river Volga — also raised its voice against the military intervention when its state council said: “It is inadmissible to use the Russian army in conflicts against the civilian population and resort to the use of force for restoring constitutional law in Chechnya.”