Word: russian
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Russia's generals have learned some hard lessons. After the blood-soaked debacle of the last attempt to subdue Chechnya during 1994-1996, war gamers went back to the doctrine of the ferocious Russian who first conquered the Caucasus, 19th century general Alexei Yermolov: use siege warfare rather than frontal assault. Make slow advances under cover of heavy guns and bombardment. Avoid close encounters with a lightly armed but fearsome enemy. Applying these principles in their current campaign, which began in late September, Moscow's generals aimed to grind down the rebel force until the remnants would flee back into...
...least that was how it seemed until last week, when someone forgot the new war plan. On Wednesday evening a Russian armored column rolled deep into downtown Grozny, the besieged and ruined Chechen capital, only to be ambushed by 2,000 rebels. Caught in the open as they advanced into Minutka Square, seven tanks and eight personnel carriers ran into a devastating barrage of rifle fire and rocket-propelled grenades that slaughtered the soldiers as their vehicles exploded in flames. Three hours later, more than 100 Russian corpses lay amid the wreckage, according to on-the-spot wire services...
...criticism of Moscow's tactics in Chechnya may be missing the point: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was the undisputed winner of last weekend's Russian parliamentary election precisely because of his get-tough act in Chechnya - and because he stuck his jaw out in the face of Western criticism. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott on Thursday chided Moscow for failing to observe international human rights standards, and there was certainly no lack of evidence to back his claim: Russian forces continued their relentless pounding of Grozny despite the presence of thousands of civilians in the city, and the Russian...
...thus far, he could fall just as fast if the public begins to perceive that the war is going badly." The onset of winter makes a quick victory against guerrilla forces in the mountains extremely unlikely, and even Grozny is proving far more resilient - and costly in terms of Russian casualties - than Russian military boasts allowed for. Even if they risk the heavy losses of an all-out assault on the Chechen capital, its capture would be primarily a symbolic victory - the bulk of the Chechen forces have retreated into the mountains to fight another...
...There's a fierce debate raging right now in the Russian leadership over how to proceed in Chechnya," says Meier. "Putin needs to slow things down, drag them out so that the war's still an issue next spring, but the generals have boasted that Grozny will fall within days." And for Putin, planting Russia's flag in Grozny and declaring the operation over may be a way of getting out while the going's good...