In others, robbery may have been the motive. We are not talking about incidental casualties. This is not the first time that the conduct of Russian troops has been criticized by human rights experts. Human Rights Watch asserted in December that Russian troops had pillaged the village of Alkhan-Yurt in Chechnya and killed civilians there. Those charges were supported by testimony from some of the survivors, much of which was recorded on a videotape prepared by a Chechen businessman who supports the Russians.
Russian authorities say they are investigating the episode.
The testimony from the Grozny refugees recalls many of the allegations of human rights abuses during the 1994-96 war in Chechnya. Russian authorities have blocked virtually all of the Western press from reporting from Grozny, making it difficult to evaluate Russia's claims that it is concerned about the safety of civilians. The testimony covers events from Dec. 22 to Jan. 24. Many of the victims were civilians from Ingushetia who lived in Grozny and were later evacuated from Chechnya. Human Rights Watch spoke to a woman who said she was hiding in a cellar with five other civilians when Russian troops routed a band of rebels from her neighborhood.