Russian Troops to Begin Withdrawal From Chechnya

Russian troops will begin withdrawing from stable areas of breakaway Chechnya today, their commander said Sunday, but persistent fighting and a protracted timetable for the pullout suggest that the announcement was aimed at creating an illusion of progress toward peace.

A neutral emissary working to arrange negotiations between President Boris N. Yeltsin and Chechen rebel leader Gen. Dzhokar M. Dudayev also portrayed a hopeless deadlock in the 16-month-old war, reporting that the rebels are in full control while Russian soldiers are “totally demoralized.”

The commander of Russian forces in Chechnya, Lt. Gen. Vyacheslav Tikhomirov, told journalists that 14 Russian units will be relocated to the borders of the separatist republic by the end of May. There was no word on how many troops will be involved in the initial drawing down, and Russian officers use the term “unit” to apply to anything from a single soldier to a regiment.

“However, if the situation gets more complicated, the order may be given to these units to stabilize the situation in the republic,” the Interfax news agency quoted Tikhomirov as saying, suggesting that even the partial withdrawal is subject to reversal.

A second phase of the withdrawal will run from June through October, and the duration of a third and final phase “will depend on the specific situation in the republic,” Russia’s Itar-Tass news agency reported.

On March 31, Yeltsin proclaimed a unilateral cease-fire and phased withdrawal as he outlined his plans for ending the deadly conflict in what was widely seen as posturing ahead of the June 16 presidential election.

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The 65-year-old incumbent faces a tough challenge in his bid for reelection from Communist Party leader Gennady A. Zyuganov, and the continuing bloodshed in Chechnya is a major concern among Russian voters.

Despite Yeltsin’s proclamation of peace two weeks ago, there has been little easing of the daily exchanges of gunfire or in the casualty tolls.

Fighting was so intense last week that an envoy sent by Mintimer S. Shaimiyev, president of the Tatarstan republic, to try to establish contact with Dudayev said he was driven out of the area by the federal artillery barrages.

“There was no possibility of moving forward, and we decided to turn back,” Rafail Khakimov told Interfax.

Shaimiyev has been designated by both Yeltsin and Dudayev as a trusted intermediary for negotiations on terms of a peace settlement. Yeltsin had previously refused to deal with Dudayev even through a third party, deeming him a criminal and terrorist, but he conceded to the mediation in his March 31 address.

Khakimov said Dudayev’s forces clearly have the run of the republic, even in regions where local elders have signed pledges to bar rebel fighters in hopes of staving off Russian incursions.

“This is a real army with high morale, rather than ‘bandit formations,’ ” Khakimov said of Dudayev’s guerrillas, disputing the pejorative description applied by Yeltsin to the fighters.

On the other hand, the emissary reported, federal troops stationed in the volatile republic, where as many as 30,000 people have been killed in the conflict, are “totally demoralized” and able to move only within the limited territory under their control.

On Sunday, news agencies in Chechnya reported at least 14 gun battles between rebel and federal troops overnight, and Tass said the main government building in the capital, Grozny, had been hit with small-arms fire.