CHECHNYA: GROZNY: FIERCE ASSAULT BEGINS BY RUSSIAN TROOPS

(31 Dec 1994) Russian/Nat Russia's ferocious assault aerial and ground assault on Grozny began in the early hours of Saturday. APTV cameras were there when the first shells landed. As the Russians began their advance, artillery shells and rockets smashed into downtown Grozny at a rate of two to three a minute. The assault began this morning from the direction of Alkhan-Kala, a strategic village about nine miles northwest of Grozny. Early in the morning, heavy fighting was reported at Chechen positions two to three miles from the city centre. But later, some Russian troops apparently succeeded in penetrating the Chechen defences. No Chechen defenders were in sight in the city centre or around President Dzhokhar Dudayev's palace. In the city centre, where more buildings lay flattened, some Chechens were caught outside as the first shells began to fall. They hurried inside, many taking shelter in basements under their homes. This woman and her family have no way of leaving Grozny. She's lost her husband and there's no one to look after them. She wants the West to stop the Russian advance. The Russian advance has brought life in the capital to a standstill. There are hardly any vehicles going into Grozny and those that try are mostly prevented from doing so by the Russians - as this one was. Most Chechens remain supportive of President Dudayev. But some are now blaming their plight on him. They say he has done nothing since declaring independence in 1991 - except building up an army and antagonising the Russians. Whatever the truth, Chechen fighters are preparing for hand-to-hand combat on the streets of Grozny. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...