December 21, 1999
Web posted at: 5:51 a.m. EST (1051 GMT)

MOZDOK, Russia (CNN) -- Russian troops are in a position to capture Chechnya's capital within a day, but have held off in order to avoid heavy casualties, a Russian commander said Tuesday.

The comments by Gen. Viktor Kazantsev came as heavy fighting raged around the city of Grozny, the battered capital of the rebellious republic.

Russian troops captured the city's main civilian airport on Monday and have edged into several parts of the city in recent days, raising speculation that they might finish their assault on the city in the next few days. The Russian news agency RIA quoted military sources saying Monday that operations to seize the city would begin sometime between Wednesday and Friday.

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But the city has been heavily mined by the Islamic guerrillas Russia invaded Chechnya to uproot, Kazantsev said, making large numbers of killed and wounded a certainty if his troops tried to storm the city.

"I'm the only one who knows the plan, and it's all in here," he said, pointing to his head.

Defense officials said Monday that it has put troops into the mountains of Chechnya to open a new front, cutting off any retreat by the militants toward the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia. Kazantsev also said that Chechen guerrilla leader Shamil Basayev had been wounded in the fighting, and his men were trying to get him out of the region.

Basayev is one of the Islamic militant leaders who emerged from the Russians' disastrous 1994-96 attempt to suppress Chechen separatism. That war ended in a bloody setback for Moscow and in the territory's effective independence.

Despite heavy fighting around the Grozny on Monday, neither side appeared to make significant gains in the south of the city. Both occupied high points on the outskirts. There was constant fire from mortars, cannon and light arms. At night, tracer fire lit up the sky.

The Chechen war has strong popular support in Russia, which translated into a strong showing for the pro-government Unity party in Sunday's parliamentary elections.

Though he's not a member, after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin endorsed Unity, the group's poll ratings jumped dramatically. The party was running neck-and-neck with the Communists, who have dominated Russia's State Duma for nearly 10 years.

Correspondent Steve Harrigan and Reuters contributed to this report.

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