January 11, 2000
Web posted at: 3:11 a.m. EST (0811 GMT)

In this story: Rebels attack two towns held by Russia Putin banking on successful campaign Casualty figures played down Weather hampers Russian offensive RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

(CNN) -- A wave of attacks by Chechen fighters that stalled the advance of Russian forces brought a swift response from Russia's top commander in the rebel republic.

The commander of Russian forces in Chechnya, Colonel-General Viktor Kazantsev, said the latest Russian losses had prompted a decision to send crack troops to the front line.

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"We suffered heavy losses. I made the decision to halt operations. Now higher quality, front-line troops are being prepared with the aim of limiting losses amongst troops," Kazantsev said.

"We had a serious discussion today and the necessary conclusions have been drawn," he told ORT television. "I think that in future no such mistakes will be made. In accordance with the situation, tactics will be changed as appropriate."

Kazantsev's comments came as the Russian military conceded it had suffered the worst casualties so far in its four-month-old Chechen campaign.

The fighting escalated on Sunday -- as rebels launched attacks on the towns of Argun and Shali, which were captured last month by Russian forces. Russia claimed it had successfully retained control of the two towns, but said fighting continued.

Rebels had killed 26 Russian soldiers and wounded 30 others during the previous 24 hours, an Interior Ministry official said Monday. Russia has said for weeks that its losses were no more than one or two a day, despite reports by soldiers in Chechnya that casualties were much higher.

Acting Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Chechen attacks were a rearguard action by the rebels.

"We believe that the increased fighting in Chechnya is the bandits' attempt to evade punishment, but they will fail," Putin said.

Putin is banking on successful completion of the Chechen drive to boost his chances in the March presidential election, called after Boris Yeltsin's New Year's Eve resignation. Putin has started the election campaign as clear favorite but a Chechen operation with high casualties could dent his chances.

Russian forces moved methodically through the Chechen lowlands, but have encountered increasing opposition as they advance slowly on Grozny and try to cut off rebel strongholds in the region's southern mountains.

Russia embarked on the campaign in September after a spate of bombings in Russian cities and an assault on Dagestan blamed on Chechen guerrillas. The rebels deny any role in the bombings, in which nearly 300 people died.

Each side has consistently overstated its opponent's losses and played down its own casualty figures.

Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev and top officers had said the military would resume attacks against rebels in full after a lull imposed in Grozny last week -- in part to honor Orthodox Christmas and the end of the Moslem fasting period of Ramadan.

The Russian offensive is being hampered by the bitter winter weather that is gripping the region.

Even before the recent attacks, Russian forces were becoming bogged down by snow, ice and mud. Several of the latest rebel attacks came under the cover of dense fog.

Poor visibility limits the ability of Russian aircraft to provide vital support for ground troops.

Correspondent Mark Armstrong and Reuters contributed to this report.

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