Thousands of Russian soldiers swept into Chechnya yesterday as Moscow announced it no longer recognised the rule of President Aslan Maskhadov over the breakaway Caucusus republic.
Russian forces backed by more than 1,000 armoured personnel carriers and tanks took control of at least five villages some 15 km inside Chechnya, the first such drive into the republic since the brutal 1994-1996 war that left 80,000 dead.
Chechen sources said 10 Russian soldiers were killed in the first clash between the two sides late yesterday.
A 30-minute battle erupted near the town of Rubezhnoye, some 10 km from the Russian-Chechen border, a regional prefect in the local district said.
While the invasion forces moved in, Russia said it no longer recognised the breakaway Chechen presidency.
"All other organs of power in Chechnya are, to say the least, only partially legitimate, since they were elected outside of the Russian law," the Prime Minister, Mr Vladimir Putin, stated.
He said Russia now only recognised a little-known group of former Chechen parliamentarians exiled in Moscow.
More than 90,000 Chechens were reported by Russian authorities to have fled their separatist state, which has been ravaged by a weeks-old bombing campaign that has seen 1,500 sorties by Russian warplanes.
The defence ministry in Moscow yesterday refused to confirm the troop movements. But a Russian officer contacted on the ground said the operation was well under way.