Russian forces claimed 22 rebels dead in an artillery barrage yesterday as security across Chechnya remained tight amid fears of guerrilla attacks to mark their capture of Grozny in 1996.
Russian gunners opened fire after a group of 100 rebels were spotted in woods near the village of Petropavlovskaya, northeast of Grozny, news agencies reported.
The bodies of 22 rebels were later found at the scene, the agencies said. It was not possible to confirm the reports independently. Both sides have exaggerated their enemy's losses during the 10-month Chechen conflict.
Late on Saturday, some 2,000 civilians fled the breakaway Russian republic after a rebel leaflet drop warned of "armed actions against Russian bases" designed to commemorate the storming of Grozny by rebels on August 6th, 1996.
The operation dealt a crushing blow to Russian morale and prompted Moscow to sign a truce that effectively ended the 21-month conflict. Russian troops later quit Chechnya humiliated, handing Grozny de facto independence.
But Gen Vladimir Bokovikov, President Vladimir Putin's personal envoy to southern Russia, vowed "there will never be a repeat of 1996, when [Russian] forces left" Chechnya.
The official also called on Chechen President Mr Aslan Maskhadov to end his "pointless" struggle, Interfax reported.
Security was tight in the interim capital Gudermes and in Grozny, where reinforcements had been despatched ahead of the anniversary.
Eight mine clearance experts were hurt in three separate blasts in the ruined former capital. Three people were arrested for mine-laying in the southern Shali district, said Interfax.
In neighbouring Dagestan, meanwhile, two women died and three other people were hurt when a car bomb erupted in Khasavyurt, police said.
Russian military chiefs have been warning all week that Chechen guerrillas could launch a wave of attacks to show they remain a force to be reckoned with despite 10 months of bitter battles in the latest war.