Moscow - Russian forces and Muslim rebels battled over a key strategic stronghold in the mountains of Dagestan yesterday, with both sides claiming to have scored a major victory. But with the rebellion entering its third week, there was still little sign that Russia was scoring the knock-out blow its officials have promised.
Russian officials said their troops seized part of the village of Tando, a key rebel base, and blockaded a small group of rebels there.
Meanwhile, Russian Stalinists yesterday formed an election bloc with the Soviet dictator's grandson as one of its leaders, television stations reported. The Stalinist Bloc for the Soviet Union will be led by Mr Viktor Anpilov, a fiery radical communist orator. Mr Yevgeny Dzhugashvili, grandson of Josef Stalin, will be number three in its parliamentary party list.
President Boris Yeltsin's efforts to form a united proKremlin list of right-wing politicians to contest parliamentary elections in December have collapsed after prospective participants failed to agree who would be its head.