combines RUSSIA CHECHNYA and RUSSIA COMMANDER The Russian military say they have taken control of the Chechen village of Vedeno, which commands a key rebel supply route into the southern mountains.

The reported success came as fierce street fighting continued in the capital, Grozny.

A Russian federal commander ,Arkadiy Balayev, was quoted by Russian radio as saying that Russian soldiers in Chechnya were becoming exhausted because they had not been relieved through regular rotation.

In Moscow, the acting Russian president, Vladimir Putin, named General Vyacheslav Tikhomirov of the Defence ministry as the new commander of Interior Ministry troops.

General Tikhomirov who replaces General Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov is known to oppose dialogue with the Chechens. A spokesman for Mr Putin said the new appointment would help improve co-ordination between the Interior and Defence Ministries over Chechnya.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service