He says there is a growing feeling that Russian forces are gearing up for a major push on Grozny, and that the present pause is an opportunity for the troops to reorganise. Sacking denial Mr Putin denied that key military personnel had been removed from their posts, saying there were no changes and none were planned. His remarks caused surprise because a senior general had earlier announced a reorganisation of officers in charge of the Chechen campaign. Lieutenant-General Gennady Troshev, deputy commander of Russian troops in Chechnya, told a news conference on Friday that he had been moved from commander of Russia's eastern forces in Chechnya to become deputy commander of the combined Russian forces in the North Caucasus. General Troshev said that another commander, Major-General Vladimir Shamanov, had been transferred and replaced by his deputy as part of the reshuffle.
Correspondents say political pressure on the military to deliver a quick victory is increasing.
And Chechen rebel spokesman Movladi Udugov said the apparent confusion reflected Russian military setbacks in recent fighting. Russians bogged down Russia launched its military campaign in September after blaming a series of deadly apartment bombings in Russia on Chechnya-based Islamic militants. The ground assault on Grozny started in earnest on Christmas Day after a sustained air attack aimed at weakening the city's defences. Russian officials widely predicted the battle for the capital would be a short one. One general said it would be a matter of days and Mr Putin, the then prime minister, said before the assault started that the end of the campaign was close.