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Battle Inside Russia

For four days last week, tanks, helicopters and missiles pounded the tiny Russian village of Pervomayskaya (Per-va-may-skay). The blasts were so strong that windows shattered in buildings more than a mile away. By Thursday, the village was flattened. Its 870 townspeople had run away or been killed. The booming explosions gave way to a deep silence.

"I didn't see a single house left intact," said Nadezhda Chaikova, a Russian reporter. "Those who left will have only ashes to return to."

What country would use heavy weapons to destroy such a small town in Russia? Believe it or not, Russia itself. The Russian army had come there to rescue about 100 Russians who had been kidnapped and held hostage by rebels from nearby Chechnya.

The people of Chechnya, a New Jersey-size region that is part of Russia, want to form their own country. Russia refuses and has sent soldiers there. The Chechen rebels took the hostages in an attempt to force Russia to remove its army from Chechnya. But Russian President Boris Yeltsin was determined not to give in to Chechnya and its leader, Jokhar Dudayev (Ja-har Du-da-yef).

After the smoke cleared, Yeltsin declared, "We have taught Dudayev a sound lesson, and now it is necessary to put an end to terrorism on Russian soil." What Yeltsin did not want to admit was that some Russian hostages had been killed, not rescued, in the fighting.

A Troubled Region
Chechnya first came under Russian rule in the 1850s. Chechnya is part of an area named the North Caucasus. For decades Russia and the countries that are now Iran and Turkey fought over the land.

For most of this century, Chechnya had its own government but was part of the Soviet Union. After the Soviet Union broke into many separate nations, the Chechens wanted their own country too. Most Chechens are Muslim, which sets them apart from most Russians.

Taking On Russia
Chechnya clashed with Russian soldiers late in 1994 in the Chechen capital of Grozny. The Russian government tried to keep the conflict quiet. But the Chechens' army was stronger than anyone had imagined. They put up a big fight.

Grozny was nearly destroyed in that battle, and more than 30,000 people died. Other nations were shocked that Russia had waged such a violent battle against its people. Russians themselves were upset and criticized Yeltsin's leadership.

In June 1995 Chechens took hostages at a hospital in the Russian town of Budyonnovsk (Bu-dyo-nofsk). The Chechen rebels used the women hostages as human shields so the Russians would not shoot.

Last week rebels took their hostages from a hospital again, this time in the town of Kizlyar. The Russian army stopped them in Pervomayskaya.

Six rebels also took over a ferryboat in the Black Sea near Turkey last week. They held 199 passengers hostage but finally let them go.

The Future Of Chechnya
Hostage taking is generally considered to be a dirty way to fight. Inside Russia, the rebels are hated and called "bandits." The Chechens say they have no other way to fight for their freedom, since Russia is waging a cruel war against them.

Russian President Yeltsin is desperate to end the battle over Chechnya. The conflict has frightened his people and may hurt his chances for re-election this June. But by using such brute force, he may have made the Chechens even more determined to fight and angered others throughout Russia. Says Galina Kartseva, a nurse in Moscow: "I can't see the end of this mess."

Next: Anybody Out There?