Moscow - Russia tightened its military control around the Chechen capital, Grozny, yesterday as it launched the "second stage" of a massive offensive against the separatist province. Moscow said bombers and helicopter gunships flew nearly 100 sorties over most of Chechnya as heavy rockets again shook Grozny for the second consecutive day.
Russian generals said they planned to encircle the capital by early November, claiming that 80 per cent of all possible escape routes had already been blocked off. President Aslan Maskhadov of Chechnya confirmed that Russian forces had approached Grozny from the north and were only kilometres away on the western and eastern sides.
"The Chechen armed forces will defend Grozny and never give it up," he said. Russian MI-24 helicopters were brought into the fighting for the first time, suggesting that Moscow now felt confident it had weakened the rebels enough to deliver low-altitude air strikes.
Chechnya has accused Russia of targeting innocent civilians instead of suspected "terrorists" throughout its campaign. Its military command said 13 people were killed when a rocket struck mourners at a funeral south of Grozny.