CHECHNYA/INGUSHETIA: RUSSIA/CHECHNYA CONFLICT UPDATE

(7 Jan 2000) Russian/Nat

The Russian military operation in Chechnya continued on Friday - despite promises from Moscow that it would suspend some of its attacks on the capital Grozny.

Moscow's intentions appeared unclear after a senior military official, Lieutenant General Gennady Troshev announced the easing of the Grozny campaign - but then went on to say the offensive would continue.

Russian leaders have been promising imminent victory in Chechnya but resistant rebel fighters and bad weather are taking their toll on worn-out paratroopers.

As the fighting goes on, Chechen refugees continue to flee across the border to Ingushetia -- at least those who can make it through the shelling.

After overrunning the northern plains of Chechnya with little trouble, the Russian military now faces the far more difficult challenge of taking on the rebels in the southern mountains.

For weeks, the Russian military has been sending its best units into the southern mountains to fight the rebels.

The military has relied on massive artillery and air bombardment during the current campaign, trying to avoid the heavy losses its forces suffered during the 1994-96 war.

The paratroop and commando units, draped in combat harnesses and carrying grenades and combat knives, are striving to follow the same guerrilla tactics as the rebels.

But officers and soldiers admit the fighting is exhausting and difficult.

Patrols trek through the mountains for days, but only rarely even catch sight of the Chechens, in fleeting engagements in the forests.

With intense fighting continuing in and around the Chechen capital Grozny, Russian troops are desperate to achieve a breakthrough in the mountainous areas, where the rebels have retreated to hilltop bases.

But units of Russia's 58th army in the Alkhazurovo district seemed ill-prepared for a change in tactics.

Many soldiers filmed by A-P-T-N complained of a lack of food.

And with the military campaign in Chechnya now entering its fourth month, the pace of the conflict seems to be taking its toll on the armoured vehicles being repaired by the unit.

Russian weapons and equipment are often worn out: replacements and supplies are often hard to obtain.

The paratroopers' green-and-brown camouflage uniforms haven't been washed in weeks, and the men themselves go without baths for days on end.

Lice is a problem for many of them.

The Russian government says the war will soon be won, but many of the soldiers on the ground say the Chechens won't stop fighting.

And the military leadership appeared to acknowledge that sentiment when Russian military commander Lieutenant General Gennady Troshev announced that the campaign in Grozny would be wound down.

Confusingly, though, Troshev then went on to say the offensive would continue.

Churches near the Chechen-Ingushetia border were quiet and gates were closed on this Russian Orthodox Christmas, as many soldiers spent the holiday fighting rebels.

One Russian soldier says people are losing faith.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
Of course we have to restore order in the country and that includes a truce. People used to live normally, they believed in somebody and now for some reason, they don't believe in anyone."
SOUND CAPTION: Natasha Zayets, Russian Soldier

There have been calls from some Chechens for a temporary truce to allow for holiday celebrations, but high ranking Russian officers reportedly refused their requests.

So they are spending the Orthodox Christmas in a war-zone, just like the Russian soldiers leading the onslaught.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
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