Most of the dead and injured had been hit by grenades. They had all been in one house until it was totally destroyed. And the war goes on While the Parvomayskoye hostage crisis occurred, the war went on elsewhere in Chechnya. According to Movladi Udugov, spokesman for Dudayev , on 15 January a Russian missile attack killed 42 people, including 17 children in Tsentoroy, Shali district. On 16 January, Russia TV channel reported that in the past 24 hours, one Russian serviceman and three Chechens had been killed in attacks on Russian positions.
All indicators point at an upcoming Russian offensive in Chechnya.
The different newsservices bring stories about the Communist Party's critique on Yelysin's handling of the war. The impression sometimes arises that a Communist government would be a blessing for the Chechens, but I am afraid this will not be so. The first thing that new federal commander in Chechnya said after his arrival in Chechnya was that talks with the rebel side were excluded. He is an Army general, ending the one year old Interior Ministry dominance of the highest echelon. Once the mountains will be depopulated, these units will not be able to maintain their present size and level of organization.