Russian Official Vows to Rid Chechnya of ‘Terrorists’

Russian Defense Minister Igor D. Sergeyev on Thursday surveyed the deadly swath his federal forces have cut through embattled Chechnya and warned that troops will continue pounding the southern republic with airstrikes and artillery until it is expunged of “terrorists.”

Russian SU-24 and SU-25 warplanes and MI-24 helicopters bombed villages near Grozny, the Chechen capital, in an intensified air campaign that engulfed already shattered hamlets in flames, while ground troops tightened the noose around Grozny in preparation for what appeared to be a full-scale assault or siege.

The capital has been under intense bombardment for days, and hundreds of civilians have been killed in the attacks. Kremlin officials contend that the assault is aimed at Chechen rebels accused of raiding the neighboring Russian republic of Dagestan and carrying out a series of apartment bombings in Russia last month that killed more than 300 people.

The army said the attacks have destroyed the homes of two Chechen warlords, guerrilla leader Shamil Basayev and former President Zelimkhan A. Yanderbiyev. However, the scenes of mayhem broadcast back to Moscow from the region show mostly terrified women, children and old men fleeing the bombardment. Most have taken refuge in the neighboring Russian republic of Ingushetia, already bursting with nearly 200,000 driven from their homes by the rekindled war.

Sergeyev and his commanders predicted that they will have Grozny encircled within a few days and will drive guerrillas into mountainous areas to the south in a final push to conquer Chechnya, a Russian republic that has been virtually independent since rebels defeated Moscow’s forces in a 1994-96 war.

“We are here for the long haul and have the most serious intentions,” Sergeyev told front-line troops during his visit, apparently aimed at bolstering the fighters’ morale and also public support. “No one should have any doubts about it. We have come here to stay forever.”

While Sergeyev vocally rattled the Kremlin’s saber, Moscow’s military commissioner warned that a growing number of army recruits are dodging service for fear of being deployed to the deadly Chechen conflict. More than 1,500 inductees in the Russian capital alone ignored their call-up notices this fall, said Lt. Gen. Mikhail Sorokin.

Despite the staggering civilian toll from the fighting that has raged since September after a nearly three-year hiatus, the assault on Chechnya has united many of Russia’s fractious political forces.

Communist Party leader Gennady A. Zyuganov expressed his full support for the campaign and lashed out at U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright for her recent criticism, accusing her of “unprecedented interference into our country’s internal affairs.”

Even former Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev, an ardent champion of human rights, told journalists that he considers the latest assaults necessary to force Chechen militants to submit or be defeated.

Nationalist firebrand Vladimir V. Zhirinovsky suggested that federal forces use the conflict to test new weapons against the rebels in the predominantly Muslim region.

Meanwhile, Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov appealed to Pope John Paul II for help in drawing the Christian world’s attention to the Chechens’ plight.

“We are sending you this message only after we became convinced that the Islamic world remains indifferent to the tragedy of the Chechen people and to our numerous appeals,” the message to the Vatican said.

Maskhadov said that more than 3,200 civilians have been killed since early September and that 5,000 others have been wounded in the shelling and airstrikes.

The republic’s deputy prime minister, Apti Bisultanov, said 223 people were killed Tuesday in a rocket attack on central Grozny.