Further allegations of summary executions by Russian soldiers have been made on the anniversary of Stalin's deportation to central Asia of the entire Chechen people.
The New-York based Human Rights Watch (HRW) organisation claimed that at least 117 civilians have been murdered in Grozny since the Russian army took the city. The Paris-based Medecins du Monde has accused Russian forces of "massive and systematic war crimes".
Russia has denied both allegations.
Medecins du Monde, which is now the only human rights organisation operating inside Chechnya, described Russian actions as "crimes against humanity". Dr Guy Causse, who returned to the group's headquarters after three weeks in the region, told reporters that the death toll in the conflict was likely to be higher than that of the previous Chechen war from 1994 to 1996, when at least 20,000 civilians were killed.
HRW bases its claims on interviews with refugees arriving in the neighbouring republic of Ingushetia. In the past its estimates of casualties have been shown to be reasonably accurate and while its claims of summary executions in the village of Alkhan Yurt were denied by Moscow, they were confirmed by pro-Moscow Chechen forces.
In its latest report, HRW says that on February 5th Russian soldiers went on a killing rampage in the Aldi district of Grozny, as a result of which 62 civilians lost their lives. Fifty civilians had been reported killed in a series of incidents earlier this month in the city's Staropromyslovski region, and HRW says it has evidence of a further five summary executions in the Oktyabrski district of Grozny.
"It is becoming increasingly clear that these are not isolated incidents," said Ms Holly Cartner, executive director of the Europe and Central Asia Division of Human Rights Watch. "We are uncovering a pattern of summary executions throughout Grozny."
