Moscow, 31 May 2000 (RFE/RL) - The Kremlin's top civilian representative in Chechnya today accused Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov of being behind the attack that killed a senior Russian official. ITAR-TASS news agency quoted Nikolai Koshman as saying it was "no accident" that the attack was directed at people who were trying to rebuild Grozny and establish peace there.
Colonel Sergei Zverev, Russia's second highest official in Chechnya, was killed yesterday when his car ran over a remote-controlled landmine on the outskirts of Grozny. The Moscow-appointed deputy mayor of Grozny, Nurseda Khabuseyeva, was also killed. Grozny's mayor, Supyan Makhchayev, was injured.
The Russian military said its offensive against Chechen fighters in southeastern areas of Nozhai-Yurt and Vedeno continued today.
The Russian military said its offensive against Chechen fighters in southeastern areas of Nozhai-Yurt and Vedeno continued today.