Rebels Battle Russians on Eve of Yeltsin Swearing-In

MOSCOW — Casting a bloody, embarrassing backdrop for today’s inauguration of Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin, Chechen rebels held off the vast forces of the federal army for a third day Thursday in a fierce battle for control of Chechnya’s ragged capital, Grozny.

One armored unit managed to break through the rebel cordon in the morning and beat back attacks aimed at taking the main government building. But most of the Russian reinforcements remained blocked by land mines and shackled by the hit-and-run tactics that the legendary fighters of Chechnya have mastered for centuries.

Having made the point that their southern republic will never live docilely under the yoke of Russia, the rebels are expected to eventually slip out of the embattled city, which they have little hope of holding while surrounded by tens of thousands of federal troops and a staggering arsenal of aircraft and armor.

But as Russian officialdom prepared to honor Yeltsin with a lavish ceremony in the Kremlin, the agents of his most humiliating failure in five years as Russia’s leader seemed unlikely to relax their offensive.

Yeltsin’s inauguration already takes place under the shadow of renewed concern about his health. Out of the public eye for the past six weeks except for staged videotapes and a brief visit with Vice President Al Gore, Yeltsin plans to depart immediately after the ceremony for what aides say is a needed “real vacation.”

The 65-year-old president with a history of heart trouble has appeared pale and fatigued--even in choreographed footage--since his reelection last month, fueling speculation that his health continues to deteriorate.

Today’s ceremony has been shortened to less than 30 minutes, Kremlin sources say, and the rituals initially planned amid the onion domes and bell towers of Cathedral Square are being moved indoors to the more austere environs of the Soviet-era Palace of Congresses.

Presidential spokesman Sergei K. Medvedev hailed the change of venue as an economic measure, saying it would have cost more than $1 million to seed the clouds in advance in hopes of assuring sunshine on the day of the ceremony. The weather in Moscow on Thursday, however, was mild and sunny, with nary a rain cloud in sight.

More dampening of the inaugural spirit has been the flare-up of fighting in Chechnya, reminding Russians of the deadly undertaking launched 20 months ago by their mercurial president. At least 30,000 have been killed in the war.

The latest Chechen raid on Grozny began at dawn Tuesday when hundreds of rebels swept into the city, startling the federal units into flight. The Chechens then mined approach roads and fanned out across the bombed city, engaging federal Interior Ministry troops in scattered gun battles and street fighting.

Russian news organizations with correspondents caught in the sealed-off center of Grozny report that the federal forces have suffered at least 70 deaths and 300 injuries in three days. Federal troops have also lost dozens of tanks and artillery pieces, nine helicopters and one fixed-wing aircraft, the Interfax news agency reported.

Konstantin Tochilin, a reporter with the state Russian Public Television who was inside a rebel-surrounded government building, disputed claims by other government media that Russian troops had regained control. Tochilin said aid workers, journalists and officials trapped in the complex were still waiting for rescue.