Russian plans to hold a referendum in Chechnya suffered a setback yesterday when two helicopter gunships went missing in the separatist republic three days ahead of polling.
"Communications with the helicopters have been lost. Searches are under way. A rescue team has headed for the region where they may have disappeared," a Defence Ministry spokesman said.
A military spokesman said a total of four crewmen were aboard the helicopters, Interfax reported.
Experts said the Mi-24 helicopter gunships, similar to the US AH-64 Apache, can carry two pilots and eight passengers each.
The spokesman said no trace of the helicopters had been found six hours after radio contact was lost.
"The search efforts for the helicopters and their crews are continuing.
"Rescue workers are working in difficult weather conditions which make searches from the air impossible.
"Land units are combing the area," he said.
They went missing when providing air support army units operating in Chechnya's mountainous south-west districts, Interfax quoted the spokesman as saying.
The disappearance of the helicopters came a day after President Aslan Maskhadov of Chechnya said the rebels could step up their operations in the final run-up to a constitutional referendum that Moscow hopes will cement the republic's status as a formal member of the Russian Federation.
The rebels have denied the legitimacy of the referendum on the grounds that it is being conducted "in a country at war".
"We will not recognise any referendum as long as the war continues. In the coming days, the fighters will be more active than ever in order to unmask the lies of the Russian generals who say there is no war," Mr Maskhadov said.
He warned the West against recognising the results of the poll, accusing Russian authorities of trying to trick the world into thinking the vote was taking place with the approval of independent observers. - (AFP)