Рет қаралды 80,780
(23 Dec 1999) Russian/Nat
Russian forces trying to wipe out rebels entrenched in the ruins of the Chechen capital Grozny intensely bombarded the smoke-enshrouded city on Wednesday.
And as they continue their push into southern Chechnya, the Russian Army has begun to shell regions closer to the high Caucasus Mountains.
Still in the hands of Chechen rebels, the town of Chiri-Yurt, 32 km south of Grozny, is being shelled by the Russian Army.
The Russian attacks in Chiri-Yurt come unannounced.
The citizens of the town had no time to find cover for themselves and for their children.
The shelling and blasts continued unabated casting clouds of smoke into the skies.
When there is a sustained attack - and if there's time - people hide out in abandoned basements.
Here several dozen people were hiding from the Russian assault.
In the cellar they had food and limited provisions.
Shaking and crying they blamed Moscow for killing civilians, not the Chechen rebels.
For many it was too much; they dissolved into tears.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"Yeltsin is not bombing the fighters, he is fighting peaceful citizens. What, are we guilty? We were sitting at home - cooking food. Then they started to bomb us with missiles and the all the children cried from fear and we didn't know where to take the children."
SUPER CAPTION: Resident of Chiri Yurt
The little children are too young to understand what is happening.
They seemed fairly complacent and unaware of what was happening to their town above.
But for their parents and the adults it was a different story.
One woman was hysterical.
She spoke of the violence and destruction which has recently ravaged Chechnya.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"The whole world will defend our people. We are only guilty in being Chechens. You see these people here, it is very hard to talk when you see tears and blood and when everything around is crashing down."
SUPER CAPTION: Resident of Chiri Yurt
In this dark cellar, only the light of a kerosene lamp showed these people's misery.
Russia has taken control of most of Chechnya since sending in ground troops in September.
The Kremlin says it aims to wipe out Islamic militants blamed for bomb blasts across Russia that killed 300 people.
More than 200-thousand refugees have fled recent fighting in Chechnya.
It's been one of the focuses of the international community's criticism of Russia's military campaign in the rebel republic.
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