Word: putin
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...rebels' hit-and-run tactics have managed to check the Russians' juggernaut offensive, inflicting politically humiliating attacks on Russia's superior forces and politically damaging body counts. Even if Russia has regained control of the battlefield, the guerrillas have melted away to plot new surprises. Acting President Vladimir Putin's confident prediction of imminent victory--and his triumphal glide to the presidency in March--is slipping toward the Chechen quagmire...
...generals attributed their unhindered progress to brilliant new tactics. When the advance bogged down around Christmas at the outskirts of the capital--where the besieging forces have remained ever since, pulverizing the city but making little progress--Moscow put an optimistic gloss on the situation. Through the tame media, Putin declared that everything was proceeding according to plan. Russian forces have made a "breakthrough" in the campaign, reported Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev. The defenders of Grozny are disorganized and panicking, the Russian command announced...
...Putin knows that the one thing that can kill public support for the war is body bags; they destroy his promise of a low-casualty victory. Though neither side is telling the truth, Russian casualties are plainly mounting fast and becoming harder to hide. Late last week the military admitted that 742 soldiers have died since Caucasus military operations began last August. Two weeks ago they acknowledged 465 dead. Even by those highly suspect statistics, Russia has suffered almost 190 deaths in the past two weeks. In fact, the total war tally is almost double the official figures, a source...
...sources say the two generals had been removed for objecting to the cease-fire. A Russian observer of the military told TIME that Shamanov, known for an abrasive tongue, was particularly vehement: he reportedly declared that "no lieutenant colonel will ever stop me in Chechnya." Former kgb Lieut. Colonel Putin's response was swift: he removed him. But faced with an uproar in top military circles, he backed down--halfway...
...Zharakovich. "In a war against guerrilla forces, capturing a city doesn't mean anything." The bulk of the Chechen forces are already in the mountains to the south, and constant ambushes and attacks behind Russian lines signify the limits of territorial control in this war. Still, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin desperately needs a way to declare victory in the popular military campaign that he hopes will carry him to the presidency in March. And he appears to have decided that his road to the Kremlin passes through Grozny...