Moscow - Russia came under strong international pressure yesterday to revoke a new diktat defining as rebels all Chechen males between the ages of 10 and 60, as tougher security regulations provoked chaos and misery for civilians trying to flee heavy fighting in the region.
Some children were trapped inside the war zone as a result of the rules which came into force on Wednesday and now automatically classify them as fighters. The crackdown follows a number of reversals for the Russian military offensive.
Russia yesterday reported its biggest single-day loss of life since the current campaign started, with Defence sources admitting that 33 soldiers had died and another 26 had been wounded over the previous 24 hours.