October 1, 1999

Russian Sends Ground Troops Into Chechnya, Raising Fears

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ROZNY, Russia -- Russian ground troops entered Chechnya Thursday and took positions on strategic heights near the border, reportedly advancing as far as six miles into the breakaway republic.

The moves followed a week of air strikes on the Chechen capital, Grozny, that sent nearly 80,000 Chechens fleeing in fear. It raised concern that Russia is on the verge of another full-scale war in Chechnya just three years after a humiliating defeat there.

RUSSIA'S NORTH CAUCASUS

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The end of that war in 1996 gave Chechnya effective independence, but left much of the republic in ruins and with an ineffective government. Islamic militants, who have thrived in the lawless conditions, invaded the neighboring Russian republic of Dagestan in August, setting off the latest fighting.

The militants, who want an independent Islamic nation in southern Russia, also are blamed for a series of apartment explosions in Moscow and two other cities in September that killed some 300 people.

Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin confirmed on Thursday that "combat operations in Chechnya are already under way."

Russian forces were taking the high ground inside the border of the territory, at spots north and east of Grozny.

Putin has said that Russia would not rule out a ground invasion, but claimed that any such force would be highly trained and specialized. The Government was harshly criticized for sending young, poorly prepared conscripts into battle during the Chechen war.

So far, there have been no reports of ground fighting. But tensions are running high.

A senior Chechen official warned that a Russian ground invasion would unleash heavy fighting -- including attacks deep inside Russian territory.

"Russian citizens feel the gruesome nature of the war, the bitterness of losing relatives and friends," Magomed Khambiyev, the Chechen Defense Minister, told the ITAR-Tass news agency.

Russia has been bombing suspected rebel bases inside Chechnya for the past several weeks and has targeted sites around Grozny for the past week.

In Grozny, the sound of Russian air strikes in the surrounding hills echoed through the city.

No casualties were immediately reported.

Elsewhere today, the European Union urged Russia to begin a dialogue with "moderate political forces in Chechnya."

Speaking on behalf of the European Union, which Finland heads, the Finnish Foreign Minister, Tarja Halonen, said the E.U. recognized Russian sovereignty in the region but was concerned about the measures Russia was using there.

Russian officials said 78,000 people have fled the air strikes. Most have gone to the republic of Ingushetia, to the west.