But it doesn't mean that we are ready to slam the door and close in, falling into isolationism. Eighteen OMON officers died in an ambush in Grozny by remnants of Chechen terrorists who had reemerged after hiding in the basements of semi-destroyed houses in the Chechen capital.
Observers regard the incident as the beginning of a guerilla phase of the war.
A number of US NGOs are trying to convince the US State Department to issue an entry visa for Alla Geyfman. Geyfman, daughter of a Saratov businessman, was taken hostage by Chechen bandits who demanded a ransom from her father. The bandits began cutting off Alla. Russian Interior Ministry operatives later freed Geyfman. Russia demanded speedier efforts to consolidate peace in Kososo at Monday's session of the UN Security Council.