Chechnya's second city sealed off

The second largest city in Chechnya, Gudermes, is reported to have been sealed off by Russian forces.

Reports say that all vehicles approaching the city -- apart from army and police convoys -- are being stopped and turned back at a roadblock fifteen kilometres from Gudermes.

Pedestrians -- including residents of the city -- are not being allowed through.

There is no official explanation so far for the move.

It co-incides with reports of Russian forces have intensified their artillery and air raids on rebel positions across the province. The reports quote a spokesman for the Russian military command as saying that the heavy shelling is designed to prevent possible new attacks by rebels to co-incide with the anniversary of the day in 1996 which they pushed federal troops out of the capital, Grozny.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service