RUSSIA-CHECHNYA: Test of Military Might With Major Political Risks

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Rajiv Tiwari

MOSCOW, Dec 21 1994 (IPS) - Russia’s military intervention in the breakaway republic of Chechnya poses dangers to the political leadership if army and interior ministry troops get bogged down in a protracted war, analysts warn.

Last year, the Russian army acted on President Boris Yeltsin’s orders and stormed the previous parliament in an act of loyalty which was hailed as a courageous defence of fledgling democracy.

But as the military intervention in Chechnya continues to drag on, questions are being asked if the troops can be put to another difficult test.

Ten days after Yeltsin ordered troops to begin their march on the Chechen capital of Grozny on Dec. 11, official sources Wednesday reported that heavy fighting has engulfed the city with casualties mounting on both sides.

The Russian government press service stated that the situation had “considerably worsened” as forces loyal to Chechen President Jokhar Dudayev were said to have overnight launched a counter- attack to push the advancing troops out of the city centre.

Reporters and photo-journalists returning from Grozny say the armed operations there had escalated to a level where only seasoned war correspondents could function, and that too with great danger.

They insist that despite denials issued by Russian officials, two of the three columns that were ordered to move on Grozny have stalled — most likely due to the opposition of commanding officers who do not want to shoot civilians.

Only the north-western military column which came from the neighbouring Russian republic of North Ossetia has managed to reach Grozny through Chechen territory held by the anti-Dudayev opposition.

A south-western arm and eastern strike force sent in from the republic of Daghestan are both said to have halted their advance. By all accounts, Moscow’s hopes of a quick surgical strike to remove Dudayev and tame the Chechen population are beginning to fade as the nightmare of a long drawn out battle looms ahead.

Chechen forces have already resorted to the hit-and-run tactics favoured by guerrilla armies. Russian official sources also charge the separatist militants with using civilian cover to make retaliation against them more difficult.