Russians set to capture last rebel stronghold near Chechnya

Instead, they were deploying reconnaissance units, fearing that Chechen fighters are still holed up in Shali.

Yesterday, Russian troops seized Urus-Martan, southwest of Grozny, one of the last two towns controlling roads out of the breakaway capital, where an estimated 40,000 civilians are trapped under Russian bombardment.

As world outrage over Russia’s brutal campaign to bring Chechnya to heel intensified, a top general vowed to blast Grozny to shreds before sending in troops to take the city.

On Monday, the Russian military dropped leaflets over the capital telling civilians to leave by Saturday or risk being wiped out by a massive aerial and artillery onslaught.

Russian deputy chief of staff General Valery Manilov said his troops would not enter Grozny before it had been reduced to rubble.

"There will be no assault against Grozny," 80 per cent of which is already in ruins from Russia’s three-month aerial onslaught, he said in an interview with state ORT Television late yesterday.

Instead the city would be seized "by those means that have already shown their efficiency, especially during the second stage of the anti-terrorist operation in Gudermes, Achkhoi-Martan, Argun and Urus-Martan," he added.

Over the past few weeks, Russian forces have seized these key rebel strongholds after weeks of punishing aerial and artillery bombardment which left them in ruins and forced Chechen fighters to beat a tactical retreat.

The general confirmed that there was a strong chance that "the bandits will be using peaceful population as a live shield in Grozny. That is the elementary and classical tactic of terrorists and bandits."

"That is why the federal command… will operate only proceeding from real data on how things are in Grozny," Manilov added.

Russian media said hardly any civilians from Grozny had arrived by late Wednesday at Pervomaiskaya, where Russian forces said they would open a safe corridor for them.

Federal troops, which invaded the breakaway republic on October 1 in a bid to crush Islamic "terrorists," have fully encircled the capital, where 6,000 Chechen rebels are dug in, according to Moscow.