Russians 'seal off' Chechen city

Russian troops in Grozny are on alert for suicide attacks

The second largest city in Chechnya, Gudermes, is reported to have been sealed off by Russian forces in advance of an important rebel anniversary.

Reports say that all vehicles and pedestrians approaching the city, apart from army and police convoys, are being stopped and turned back at a roadblock 15km (10 miles) from Gudermes.

There has been no official explanation for the move, but it coincides with reports that Russian forces have intensified their artillery and air raids on rebel positions across the province.

At least 33 Russian troops were killed in a series of truck bomb attacks in early July which severely damaged Russian morale; unofficial accounts say several hundred Russians died.

Reports of rebels gathering

The Russian military command said on Monday that its attack aircraft and helicopters had run 46 missions over the past day.

Shamil Basayev: His Dagestan operations revived the conflict

The military said the heavy shelling was designed to prevent possible new attacks by rebels to coincide with the anniversary on Sunday of the day in1996 when federal troops were pushed out of the capital, Grozny.

Security in Grozny has also been tightened: an interior minstry commando at a city checkpoint said the military had received information that attacks were being planned.

Military sources said that about 1,000 rebels were gathering on the border with the neighbouring republic of Dagestan.

A year ago, the main Chechen warlord, Shamil Basayev, led a rebel force into Dagestan and said he wanted to try to recreate a former Islamic republic which embraced both territories.

That led to attacks by Russian forces on Chechnya and, last October to a full-scale Russian invasion to restore Russian control over the renegade republic.