Heavy artillery was heard Monday night in Chechnya's capital, Grozny, as Russia continued its campaign in the republic

October 5, 1999
Web posted at: 5:13 a.m. EDT (0913 GMT)

From staff and wire reports

MAKHACHKALA, Russia (CNN) -- Two Russian warplanes were lost over Chechnya in the past two days of raids on the separatist republic, where Russian troops were carving out a new security zone, Russian military officials said Tuesday.

The first plane -- a Sukhoi-25 attack jet -- disappeared Sunday while on a reconnaissance flight, Air Force spokesman Nikolai Baranov said.

"Two days of search and rescue operations in the area where the plane is believed to have crashed have turned up nothing," he said.

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The second -- a Sukhoi-24 bomber -- was lost Monday while searching for the missing fighter, Baranov said. Efforts to locate the crash site had not produced any results Tuesday morning, he said.

Chechen military officials said the two-seat fighter was shot down by a U.S.-built, shoulder-fired Stinger missile about 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Grozny, the capital of the breakaway republic. They said one of the fliers was killed, while a search was underway for the second.

Russia pushed deeper into Chechnya Tuesday in an effort to root out Islamic militants

The two planes were shot down as Russian commanders were trying to avoid heavy losses, an effort to avoid the heavy casualties that accompanied the 1994-96 war that resulted in Chechnya's de facto independence from Moscow's rule.

Russian troops pushed deeper into the separatist republic Tuesday in an effort to root out Islamic militants. The campaign officially is aimed at wiping out Islamic militants who want to establish an Islamic republic in southern Russia.

Chechen military officials said the Russians were within 16 kilometers (10 miles) of the Terek River, traditionally the line that divides the territory in half. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin denied those reports, saying Monday that Russian troops remained "a certain distance" north of the river.

Throughout Monday night, heavy artillery could be heard in Grozny, the territory's capital. Chechen military officials said their forces clashed with the Russians about 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of the city and surrendered the village of Shelkovskaya, further to the northeast, to Russian troops late Monday.

Russia says Chechnya is harboring the rebels in the territory's mountainous regions. The airstrikes, Russia says, are aimed at facilities used by the rebels. Chechnya says hundreds of civilians have been killed since the Russian raids began last month.

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