- WORLD

Russia pays heavily for gains


The Russian military's push into Grozny has turned into a bloody struggle for every metre gained - nothing like the irresistible force advancing ever deeper into the Chechen capital portrayed by the army's generals.

Some Russian units have battled their way to within two kilometres of the city centre, "drastically changing" the course of the fighting, the top brass claimed on Tuesday.

According to the officers, at certain points on the front-line the Russian troops and Chechen rebels are as little as 180 metres apart and exchange religious war cries that sound like a throwback to a different era.

"Allah is great," chorus the guerillas, believed to be under the command of the warlord Ruslan Gelayev. The Russians, quoting from the Orthodox Easter service, roar back: "Christ is risen."

From their vantage point just inside the city limits, middle-ranking Russian officers admitted wresting control of just one block of a whole suburb from the Chechen guerillas, despite fierce clashes lasting several days.

Their progress has been hampered by murderous sniper fire, the extensive mining of approach roads and the military's desire to keep Russian casualties to a minimum, the officers said.

Reaching the soldiers' base required a journey down the main highway skirting the city, through thick undergrowth on both sides of the road making ideal cover for snipers.

Grozny itself was invisible, but the huge sign identifying the city as Dzhokhar, in honour of the eccentric air force general who proclaimed Chechen independence from Moscow in 1991, suddenly reared up through the fog.

The next turn left through the forest was also the most direct route to the deadly battle for the suburb of Chernorechye, which echoed through the surrounding countryside.

The one encouraging sign the soldiers have noticed in recent days is the rebels' shortage of ammunition. But that is more than compensated for by their heavily fortified dug-outs and the stiff resistance they are putting up.

"Their snipers are killing our officers, snipers, machine-gunners and drivers," a lieutenant said.


"They stand right back in buildings so that it is difficult to pinpoint where they are. We never see the flash of the sniper firing. We just have to guess where they are hiding by the trajectory of the shot."


The Telegraph, London

Ivan Grozny,

May I remind you that all the mass graves in Kosovo have yet to be identified and examined. As to your news source, www.serbia-info.com/news, now there's an unbiased one if I ever saw one and you complain about CNN!

As far as the Hague's priority list, well, I have no control on that.

Caucasian,

I only brought up the Russian casualties to show you and others that your own news agencies are biased as to the news. Most report only what the Generals release. I'm sure you don't consider this accurate information? All the sources I use quote both sides which you could take with a grain of salt if you wished. As far as I'm concerned neigher side report the "true" facts because their freedom of movement has been restricted. We just find it so strange that your side will believe EVERYTHING it's told or printed and deny EVERYTHING if it doesn't agree. Very strange but that's how it goes I guess.

Later

I use Kissie's quote as a reference and nothing more.
"CAUCASIAN You will notice that they never respond to that site,just pretend it never happened
* Sure, because it was not mentioned by CNN-Pravda.
P.S.Maybe, an average american wouldn't believe anything untill it's on TV"
What would you have us (Westerners) say? Eeek gads? Of course those videos are horrifing but aren't these of the terrorist/rebels and not chechens? Do the videos depict all Chechens as bandits? Is this what you're trying to say and have us believe?
* Do not mistake me for a "eastener", first.
Eeek gads would be a response to it, if on CNN. Since it's not - no "eeek". I'm tired of it already. Facts doesn't matter to them nutcases. Maybe, the best scenario would be just to leave all of you alone together with fanatics to teach you Qur'an. JC, you all honestly believe the R. Army deliberately levels civilians. If R. Army were killing them, there wouln't be any Chechen alive today. The R. Emergency Management Shoygu instead runs like crazy allocating means possible to those fled the fighting areas. The fact, that RF Govt. already fully allocated and transferred 1.385 bln. r. to those Chechens, that the backpayments not paid by the fornicating Chechen "govt." during all years of no less fornicating "independence" are being paid in full (not much, but to everybody), isn't on CNN, and would mean nothing, because it's not on CNN. Bandits invaded Dagestan twice - "R. kills civilians!". The sheer number of the bandit force was ~10.000 - "R. kills civilians!". Bones, You may believe what's convenient to You, and if Your questions are what You believe, don't ask them at all - watch CNN, and consider Yourself a yet another victim of the post-Cold War syndrome Your West hasn't overcome so far.

Igor, no I don't. I have a couple of frieds in Ontario but I myself live in Quebec.

BOnes the lady works for U.N. so what is there to dispute.You just don't like the messenger. Your ignorance amazes me.

2 Armenian

Comment to your picture:

IVAN, GO HOME!!

Well said Kissie I couldn't say it better. Problem is that they do not want to believe that their media reports their own slant.Even seeing pictures he would still question it .The lies of KOSOVO are proof. BONES maybe you should check out Canadian news.

Balalaika Comment to you : sosi moi hui

Balalaika,
You're real balalaika, know why? First I mistook You for another violent pro-, then for thinker, now just a couple of notches above various abdoullahs, those sick ones that, if R. did just bomb living hell out of Grozny, would whine/scream about civilians, and if R., because of those same civilians, started a ground assault, would dance at the R. casualties.

"...We just find it so strange that your side will believe EVERYTHING..."

Bones,
this is not true. I believe the reports of Russian casualties are not even close to real tragic figures. So? Does it make the necessity of destroying of terrorist disappear?
May God bless the boys.

To Igor (also know as org the caveman)

Dear Beggar Terrorist

The vast majority of Americans simply can not stand smelly begging third world Russian garbage like you. Can you get that into your lumpy Russian skull

The way things are going, Russian Beggars are even more likely to be less popular in countries like Israel, where according to the Jerusalem Post. Crime has shot up 39% since Russian trash were allowed to emigrate to Israel.

Why don't you take a another bottle of home made Vodka and offer it to your mother before her next trick.

tragic figures. So? Does it make the necessity of destroying of terrorist disappear?
May God bless the boys.

Hey Caucasian (more like dumb slav in your case)

I think Satan has already 'blessed' the Russians -for the next 100 years at least!

MATTESSON It was Jewish trash Russians are not allowed in ISRAEL. You father bent over for neighbourhood dog MATTESSON SUCKS ••••

By igor ( - 206.47.244.62) on Wednesday, December 29, 1999 - 05:36 pm:
Balalaika Comment to you : sosi moi hui

I DID NOT EXPECT ANYTHING SMARTER FROM YOU, DUDE! wHAT ELESE CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THE MISTERIOUS RUSSIAN SOUL...