A CHECHEN rebel commander who escaped the siege village of Pervomaiskoye said he was ready for a 10 year fight against Moscow's troops and vowed Chechnya would never submit to Russia.
Mr Salman Raduyev, speaking as Chechen rebels delayed plans to free up to 50 civilian captives, said his soldiers were behind him against the Russian forces trying to end Chechnya's bid for independence.
"We are ready to fight for 10 years if we have to, if federal forces and the Russian government do not take concrete steps to recognise the independence of Chechnya," Mr Raduyev said.
"We are ready to sacrifice our necks.
Mr Raduyev led a band of more than 200 fighters in a cross border raid which began in the town of Kizlyar in Russia's Dagestan region on January 9th.
The Lone Wolf group, which had demanded withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya, later fled to Pervomaiskoye where they were surrounded and then bombarded by Russian troops. Mr Raduyev escaped virtually uninjured, taking some police and civilian hostages with him. He said he suffered mild concussion.
His defiant comments were matched for toughness by President Boris Yeltsin, who told Russia's upper house of parliament he hoped to settle the 13 month conflict in Chechnya through dialogue, but he also vowed to wipe out rebel resistance. He made it clear he would be especially tough on hostage takers.
"In other words [we will wipe out] those who stubbornly and blatantly try to dictate to us their conditions from behind the backs of hostages, women and children," Mr Yeltsin said.
The Chechens in Novogroznensky, a town of 70,000 people some 30 miles east of the regional capital Grozny, had promised to release some of Mr Raduyev's captives on Tuesday, but rebel commanders later said this would be delayed.
"There has been a delay for technical reasons," the Chechen commander in chief, Mr Aslan Maskhadov, told reporters.
"Yesterday we told you that all of the hostages were concentrated here. But we received information about some action being planned by federal forces and we decided to place them the hostages in various locations."
He said some 40 to 50 civilians would be freed, but the Chechens saw police officers they were holding as prisoners of war who could be swapped for fighters held by the Russians.
Yesterday some 300 rebel fighters and their supporters crowded outside Mr Maskhadov's headquarters to wait for any hostage release. Some wore green Islamic headbands and many carried Kalashnikov assault rifles slung over their shoulders.
"Allah Akhbar God is greatest," they chanted.