Bodies of dead Chechens, many of them shot, have been discovered strewn around a deserted village next to the Russian military headquarters in the province.
Witnesses say dozens of bodies are lying in roads and among houses and gardens in a deserted village adjacent to the Khankala base, on the southern outskirts of Grozny.
President Putin last night ordered his senior human rights official, Mr Viktor Kalamanov, to fly to the scene to give him a first-hand report.
Troops have sealed off the village following the discovery, reportedly made on Saturday when a local Chechen went through the village, which is normally off-limits to civilians. Chechnya's acting prosecutor, Mr Vsevolod Chernov, confirmed that fragments of bodies had been found at the scene.
Mr Chernov has already visited the scene and said he has opened a criminal investigation. However, the news agency ItarTass said he "refuted" claims made by some media that up to 200 bodies have been found.
Reports say two bodies, of teenagers who have been missing from the area, have been identified, one as 16-year-old Mausayev Madayev. Many of the bodies are in an advanced state of decay and some have been partially eaten by dogs.
The find comes three days before Russia, under pressure from the West to improve human rights, is due to put Col Yuri Budanov on trial for the murder of an 18-year-old Chechen woman. There has also been an upsurge in the fighting, with troops on alert after a weekend of guerrilla ambushes killed 15 Russian soldiers.