YASTRZHEMBSKY: The operational situation in the republic remains very complicated and hardly changed in the past 24 hours. Fourteen fighters were killed and six surrendered yesterday and last night during an attempt to break out of Komsomolskoye. The remaining scattered groups are still trying to reach the Vedeno, Nozhai-Yurt and Sharoi regions, where they attempt to establish communication between their groups. A part of the bandits enter settlements as local civilians and try to become recruited to law-enforcement agencies and self-defence units.
An inspection of the requests of applicants to self-defence units and law enforcement agencies in the Vedeno district showed that all applicants are related to Shamil Basayev and rendered him direct assistance in his terrorist activities.
Rumours are being widely spread about provocations planned for March 25-27, in particular the planned capture of Shali, Dargo and Urus-Martan. An attempt to blow up a building housing a polling station was prevented in the Gudermes district. Two mortar mines ready for blowing up were found and rendered harmless at the Gudermes terminal on the railway bridge across River Belka. The attacks on the positions and checkpoints of the federal forces intensified, and the routes of military convoys are mined more often now.
Information from the Interior Ministry: 14 operational and preventive functions were held in the past 24 hours, leading to the detainment of nearly 30 bandits, the confiscation of 11 firearms, 10 explosive devices, and 2 kg of plastic explosives. The ministry staff liquidated land mines, checked nearly 3,000 people and inspected about 2,000 vehicles.
Information from the FSB: Church books of great historical value were found and saved in one of the houses in Komsomolskoye. The books were found by the military counter-intelligence staff in a specially devised hiding place. It is believed that the bandits stole these books, which date back to the late 18th and the 19th centuries, with the aim of subsequently selling them. Today the FSB will hand them over to the State Museum of History.
Information from the Emergencies Ministry: 24,000 people get hot meals in Grozny as of today, nearly 130,000 people returned to their homes from refugee and displaced persons camps. The ministry staff continue to search for and bury the dead in Grozny. This week they buried 656 bodies.
As for the elections, you know that early voting is taking place at 56 polling stations. As of today, 53% of servicemen have cast their ballots. The staff of the Interior Troops and the interior agencies of Chechnya ensure reinforced protection of the election districts in the republic and members of the election commissions. A TV transmitter was assembled at the Gudermes TV centre, thus broadening the broadcasting zone of RTR programs and the local Vainakh TV channel. The reception of the second channel of the Russian TV was recently restored in Nozhai-Yurt, which means that the residents of the mountain regions of Chechnya can watch Russian TV now.
The latest news from the FSB: A mercenary was delivered from Chechnya to Moscow yesterday. He is an Arab and speaks only Arabic. He was placed in the Lefortovo prison. He had a false Russian passport, which was apparently issued to him by fighters in Chechnya. We know for sure only that he had lived in Denmark, from which he went to Turkey and on to Chechnya via Georgia. It seems that he is not a fighter, but a commander or a man responsible for the financing of the bandit group. We hope that we will soon be able to invite journalists to tape one of his interrogations. It is not clear yet in which Middle Eastern state that man was born.
I was asked, I think it was by the correspondents of the Military News Agency, about the volunteer units in Daghestan. I required additional information from the Daghestani Security Council and can supply you with reliable information about the so-called self-defence units. They were preserved only in the settlements that directly border Chechnya. There are some 20,000 men in such units now, but only roughly 600 patrol their settlements together with official law-enforcers. They are armed with their own hunting guns, rifled and smoothbore, registered in accordance with the established procedure.
FRANCE PRESSE: We have learned that Gennady Troshev was hospitalised. Do you know where he is now and why?
YASTRZHEMBSKY: Indeed, he was hospitalized with an acute respiratory disease.
TV CENTRE: Do you have new information about Basayev and Maskhadov? Where are they? And what is Basayev's health?
YASTRZHEMBSKY: There is no information at all, old or new. No reliable information. And different versions, based on agent data and radio intercepts, do not live for more than a day. There is no information about the whereabouts of the bandit leaders. We are only sure that they are still in Chechnya.
THE SAME: One more question, please. It was once reported that some bandit leaders bought property in the north of Cyprus, and that there were two holiday hotels for the bandits' rest and rehabilitation there, handled by Alla Dudayeva. According to the latest information, some bandits are leaving for Turkey via Georgia and on to Northern Cyprus. It is said there is a whole Chechen colony in Northern Cyprus.
YASTRZHEMBSKY: Yes, I've taken this down and will try to get information about this by tomorrow's briefing. In principle, it looks credible. There seem to be no more questions. In this case, thank you.
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