CHECHEN separatists reported that Russian forces had launched a major offensive on their positions in Grozny late yesterday. The fragile ceasefire was left in tatters after the separatists rejected Russian demands to withdraw from the capital.
Russian forces launched an assault over several fronts, a separatist spokesman, Mr Movladi Udugov, told Moscow's €9ho radio. There was no immediate confirmation of the assault from the Russian side.
He said some of the Russian forces had been repulsed after losing several men and armoured vehicles. But several groups of armoured vehicles were attempting to break through into the centre, and access points were being fiercely contested.
Earlier, hundreds of Grozny residents who had remained in the city during the intensive fighting of the last two weeks fled in fear of a new offensive.
The rebels have controlled much of the centre since launching a surprise attack on August 6th. A fragile ceasefire was agreed at the weekend between Russian and Chechen military commanders.
But yesterday Mr Udugov accused the Russians of derailing the talks by demanding the rebels pull out.
He said the demand made it impossible for the rebel leadership to agree an accord on the creation of a joint commission to oversee the ceasefire - the aim of Monday's talks.
A new meeting involving deputies to both commanders was hastily arranged for today, but it was unclear if it will go ahead.
Several meetings since Saturday have failed to reconcile the two sides. Each had accused the other of violating the ceasefire.
The hardline stance struck by the Russian side yesterday followed President Boris Yeltsin's orders to his National Security Director, Gen Alexander Lebed, to restore order in the city.
Earlier yesterday only sporadic gunfire was heard in Grozny.
But after Mr Yeltsin ordered Gen Lebed to free government buildings, checkpoints and places where Russian units are posted", separatists spent the afternoon preparing for a new assault by Russian troops.
Civilians started to leave the beleaguered city. "I didn't leave because I had nowhere to go, but now it's too dangerous, I have to go, said Ms Makika Asskhanova (49), who was desperately trying to flag down a vehicle to carry her and her three children.
In another area an AFP correspondent could see rebel fighters watching five Russian prisoners dig a defensive trench.
"We are not leaving here," the local rebel commander, Mr Letchi Talkiviev, told AFP.
The Russian command in Chechnya earlier demanded that the rebels lift their siege of several Russian positions in Grozny, threatening air and artillery bombardments if the demand was not met, the Interfax news agency reported.
A senior officer told the agency that isolated Russian troops had no water or food, and that some were wounded.
Russian forces earlier claimed to have killed about 40 Chechen rebel fighters in an attack on a bus and lorry southwest of Grozny. This was strongly denied by the rebel spokesman.