RUSSIA-CHECHNYA: Moscow’s Troops Move Into Grozny’s Suburbs

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Rajiv Tiwari

MOSCOW, Dec 28 1994 (IPS) - Russian armed forces Wednesday moved into the suburbs of Grozny, capital of the rebellious republic of Chechnya — one day after President Boris Yeltsin urged them to stamp out the separatist revolt.

Top officials in Moscow said that the troops had crossed Grozny’s boundaries for the first time from the west and the east, but insisted there would be no storming of the city since they might cause heavy civilian casualties.

Oleg Lobov, executive secretary of Russia’s National Security Council, told reporters at a press conference Wednesday: “The troops will avoid excessive bloodshed and try as much as possible to force a voluntary surrender by the militants.”

The Russian government press service stated that army and interior ministry troops had taken control of a Grozny suburb and cleared militants from Oktyabroskoye village which has been the scene of heavy clashes.

Chechen fighters loyal to the republican president Jokhar Dudayev have put up a fierce resistance against the Russian military intervention which began on Dec. 11, and have so far refused to bend before the advance.

Dudayev declared Chechen independence in 1991 and Moscow has since made a series of bungling attempts to oust him and bring the rebel republic within the fold of the Russian Federation which is made up of 67 regions and 22 autonomous republics, including Chechnya.

Chechnya stands at the crossroads of the northern Caucasus with vital power, energy and transport corridors traversing its territories.

Lobov indicated that the armed operations will continue in a phased manner to break the militants’ hold on Grozny. But he also anticipated that the final assault is to be completed in a short span of time.

He said that Moscow expected Grozny to fall because pro-Dudayev forces could not defend the Chechen capital from a determined Russian advance since they number only about about 15,000 and are steadily losing their weapons and ammunition.

At the same time, stiff local resistance will be met in pockets of the city where the militants have dug in and are ready to fight to the finish, Lobov added. Television reports have shown Chechen fighters displaying anti-tank missiles, grenade launchers and even heat-seeking rockets which can be used to bring down aircraft.