As you can see, today is Dec. 11 but there is no ultimatum for civilians. The Russian military has repeatedly accused Chechen militants of barring civilians from leaving the city and using them as human shields. However, many of the remaining civilians appeared unable to leave because they are old or infirm or lack transport. Only the militants ride around in cars, but there have been very few even of them in recent days. Elmurzayev said rebel fighters told him about the pathway leading south.
Russian troops control all roads leading in and out of Grozny.
A safe corridor that was opened Tuesday from Grozny to the village of Pervomaiskaya is 12 miles long, and fewer than a dozen civilians made the trip during the first two days. The Russian military said that a second safe corridor was opened Saturday through the suburb of Chernorechye and the village of Alkhan-Yurt, less than two miles southwest of Grozny, Russian news reports said. Officials on the Ingush border, about 40 miles west of Grozny, said that just five residents of the Chechen capital had arrived Saturday via the second route. No Safety Guarantees But a Russian military commander in the Alkhan-Yurt district said guerrilla groups in the region were still active Saturday, and there could be no security guarantees. Russian forces entered Chechnya in September, pursuing militants who had invaded the neighboring Russian region of Dagestan a month earlier.