Russian-operated tanks cruise the streets of Gudermes on Friday

November 12, 1999
Web posted at: 10:27 a.m. EST (1527 GMT)

In this story: Talking their way into Grozny Russia criticizes United States Refugees' struggle includes snow and bombs Plans to wrap up Chechnya by end of year RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

MOSCOW (CNN) -- The Russian flag is flying over Gudermes, Chechnya's second-largest city, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.

Russian troops, backed by tanks and artillery, moved into the key city of Gudermes on Friday.

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"The Russian flag has been raised over the town (Gudermes)," Russian news agencies quoted Putin as saying.

Chechen officials did not say if their forces were resisting the Russian advance at Gudermes, but admitted some of their fighters have been pulling back. The loss of the city would represent a major setback for the Chechen government, which has been fighting to hold the city for several weeks.

CNN's Steve Harrigan reports that the takeover followed negotiations between city elders and senior Russian commanders and the Russian army moved into Gudermes without firing a shot.

The local population in Gudermes persuaded the rebel fighters to leave, according to top military officials in Moscow. Russian officers said some Gudermes residents were cooperating in the occupation of the city because they're tired of the fighting.

Russian officials said they are now working to "clean" the city -- searching Gudermes for terrorists.

The Russian military may use the takeover of Gudermes as a model for taking the Chechen capital, Grozny. It may try to negotiate with residents to get the rebels to leave without a major battle.

Gen. Valery Manilov, the senior Russian general, said there was no need to attack Grozny and that it could be captured by other means. He suggested that like Gudermes, residents in Grozny may help the Russians take the city because they are tired of the fighting.

"There is no need for headlong storming," he said.

Russian forces continued to bomb and rocket towns across Chechnya on Friday, with Grozny suffering heavy air and artillery strikes.

Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov appealed to Moscow for talks to end the fighting, but the Russian government rejected the call and said the fighting would continue as long as necessary.

"No one in the political leadership of the Russian federation has any deadlines," Igor Shabdurasulov, a senior presidential aide, said Thursday.

As Chechen forces in Grozny continued to work on defenses, the Russian forces around the Chechen capital advanced Thursday towards the airport.

Refugees in camps and on the road suffer in the extreme cold

Russia's defense minister blasted the United States on Friday in one of the harshest anti-American statements since the Soviet collapse, accusing Washington of plotting to weaken Russia.

"U.S. national interests require that the military conflict in the North Caucasus, fanned from the outside, keeps constantly smoldering," Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev said in a speech to top military officials in Moscow.

The strategy could allow the United States to "weaken Russia and take full control over the North Caucasus," Sergeyev said at the meeting in Moscow, which was attended by Putin and other senior officials.

The United States and other Western governments have urged Russia to end its offensive in Chechnya and seek a peaceful solution.

More than 200,000 Chechens have fled their homes, many heading on foot into neighboring Russian republics.

Cold weather, snow and Russian bombings are making travel extremely difficult for the refugees.

"They are bombing civilians, civilians are the ones that are dying mostly," said one woman fleeing south through the republic of Georgia. "Those that are involved in fighting Russian troops are fine. They don't feel anything. How can I explain it? Only civilians suffer."

Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek, current chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, told reporters after meeting Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov in Helsinki that Russia had turned down an offer to help mediate an end to Chechen conflict.

"Ivanov said he doesn't see a political role for the OSCE at this stage," Vollebaek said.

But he said Russia had agreed to study the OSCE's wish to open an office in Ingushetia, a region bordering Chechnya where many refugees are now sheltering.

Ivanov also said he would consider a proposal to hold a crisis meeting with the OSCE and the Red Cross.

An OSCE mission visited Chechen refugee camps on Wednesday, but was denied access to Chechnya itself.

With Russian forces making gains in Chechnya, a senior Russian commander said the military could wrap up operations this year if the main Chechen forces are destroyed.

"If everything goes according to the plans made, the liquidation of the main components of (Chechen) militant formations may be finished by the end of the year," Gen. Valery Manilov, deputy chief of the general staff, said on Russia's NTV network on Friday.

But the Chechens say they will not stop fighting and are preparing for a guerrilla campaign.

Russia began the attacks in early September after Chechnya- based Islamic militants twice invaded the Russian republic of Dagestan this summer. The militants are also blamed for a series of apartment bombings that killed some 300 people in Russia in September.

Russia says its Chechnya campaign is aimed at liquidating the Islamic rebels. But Russia increasingly appears determined to regain full control of the republic.

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