Russia Says 5,000 Troops Withdrawn From ChechnyaAs many as 5,000 Russian Defense Ministry troops and a large part of military equipment have been withdrawn out of Chechnya by now, but no further cuts are planned, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said this weekend.Ivanov made the remarks at a news conference in the Chechen town of Khankala. Russia's Federal Security Service's Chief Nikolai Patrushev said following Ivanov that all the big groups of rebel gunmen, who could seriously influence the situation in Chechnya, have been smashed. Only some separatist warlords still remain in the breakaway republic, trying to use any opportunity to commit terrorism acts, and the federal units are conducting special operations to eliminate them, Patrushev added. |
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