Russian troops have started an operation to prevent Chechen insurgents from breaking out of Grozny and retreating to bases in the mountains.
Fighting yesterday was concentrated in the south of the territory at vital gorges which allow entry into the Caucasus Mountains, but artillery bombardments continued to rain down on Grozny.
The main battles were reported to be taking place at Serzhen Yurt and Vedeno, the home region of the rebel warlord, Mr Shamil Basayev. The Russian Defence Minister, Mr Igor Sergeyev, denied reports of fighting near the Chechen capital and in its suburbs. He said: "Western agencies always transmit this. They receive information from terrorists and therefore transmit provocative information." He repeated that Russia had no plans for an all-out assault on Grozny. He also denied reports that a deadline had been set for the capture of Grozny.
The 100,000-strong Russian force in Chechnya is bigger than most armies in Western Europe and three times larger than the force which was defeated by the Chechens in the previous war.
Tactics also have been different with large-scale bombardments preceding the taking of villages.
There are also differences on the Chechen side on this occasion with many local civilians less than enthusiastic in their support for the insurgents. Much of this is due to war-weariness and a reluctance to return to the situation in the last Chechen war, in which at least 25,000 unarmed civilians were killed.
There are also other reasons for lack of support among the general population for the rebels. The intervention of members of the puritanical Wahhabi sect of Islam in the conflict has irked local people who are Sufi Muslims and have seen their shrines defaced and in some cases destroyed.
