Russian General8217;s body found

Malofeyev is the most senior Russian casualty since the Chechnya war was launched on October 1. The Chechens had said the general was alive and was being interrogated by rebels in a secret spot. The Chechens also denied Russian reports that Chechnya8217;s President Aslan Maskhadov had been hurt in shelling. Chechen official Mumady Saidayev told Interfax he had spoken to Maskadov, who, he said, the Russians were trying to wipe out with repeated bombing attacks.

There was no let up in the battle for Grozny which has been marked by fierce house-to-house fighting. Army officials there say nine Russian soldiers have been wounded, while they claim 220 Chechen fighters have been killed. The ITAR-TASS news agency in Grozny cited generals as saying their forces had raised the Russian flag over the Staropromyslovsky district. The first federal claims to have taken the large district came on December 28.

Staropromyslovsky juts out of the main portion of the city to the northwest and was the first Grozny district to come under Russian attack. Fighting for Staropromyslovsky had been underway for over a month. The Russians first announced they had captured the region back on December 28. Before the announcement on Staropromyslovsky, the Russians claimed they controlled one third of Grozny. But the Chechens said the Russians held no more than 15 per cent of the city. One defense official told NTV television that Minutka Square, just southeast of the city center, would be taken within a week. Commanders had already claimed to have taken control of the important junction on Thursday.

Optimistic official reports on progress were however countered by news that Russian forces had suddenly switched the top interior ministry commander whose soldiers were leading the Grozny push. The official explanation for replacing Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov with Vyacheslav Tikhomirov was that Russia needed closer coordination between their interior troops fighting the street battles and defense ministry soldiers supporting them with rocket and artillery fire from the outside.

Russian interior ministry troops in Grozny had earlier complained that defense ministry artillery gunners were often targeting buildings held by the rebels which were not the ones they had intended to storm. This poor coordination was responsible for most of the Russian casualties, said the troops. One Russian officer, who gave only his first name Roman, told an AFP correspondent it was 8220;still early to send soldiers into the city.8221; 8220;We must begin more intensive shelling of the city. It is better to destroy the town because soldiers8217; lives are worth more than ruins. And anyway after that, nobody will be able to live here,8221; he said.

General Viktor Kazantzev, who is leading the Russian offensive, refused to contemplate the possibility of negotiating with the Chechens. 8220;Everyone says we must negotiate, negotiate, but who with? Let8217;s stop talking about that. There should be just one rule, either the Chechen fighters give themselves up, hand over their weapons and receive their punishment. There is no third option,8221; Kazantsev told NTV.

Acting President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, told state-run RTR television that an end to the war would not be timed to coincide with Russia8217;s March 26 presidential election. Rumours had been swirling that Putin would declare victory before the poll to further bolster his already strong popularity.