Russians on the Attack in Chechnya
Federal troops struggled to retake the Chechen capital Sunday as their prime minister promised reinforcements to end the confrontation in Grozny that has embarrassed President Boris N. Yeltsin.
At an emergency session of the government’s Chechnya commission in Moscow, Prime Minister Viktor S. Chernomyrdin said “radical measures” are needed to resolve the situation in the secessionist republic.
The commission said 169 Russian soldiers had been killed and 618 wounded since rebels overran Grozny on Tuesday. But military officials gave higher figures of as many as 200 dead and up to 800 wounded.
In Grozny, guerrillas appeared to be on the defensive and, apart from occasional shelling, ceased their attacks on the besieged government compound.
Russian media reported that Yeltsin, meeting with Chernomyrdin, had “strongly demanded” that the situation in Grozny be normalized. Chernomyrdin said military reinforcements would be sent to the Chechen capital but gave no details.
The attack on Grozny was the rebels’ largest offensive since March.
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