Top Russian general sacked

President Putin has shown his support for Mr Ivanov

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has sacked the head of army operations in Chechnya, Gennady Troshev.

General Troshev has publicly refused to take up a new position - command of the Siberian military district.

General Troshev gave an effective ultimatum to Mr Putin: sack me, or sack Mr Ivanov

Stephen Dalziel, BBC analyst

He also criticised Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov for offering him the new job.

According to the ministry spokesman, Mr Putin "highly praised" General Troshev but considered his public remarks about the decisions taken by high command "inappropriate".

Charismatic figure

The military district commanders in Russia are rotated every few years and General Troshev was due to move to Siberia next spring.

Sacking general Troshev strengthened Putin's position

The Chechnya post is considered a trampoline for a military career and most of General Troshev's predecessors were promoted into the army's high command.

A native of the Chechen capital Grozny, General Troshev was popular among troops and is said to be a charismatic figure.

But the BBC's Russian affairs analyst Stephen Dalziel says General Troshev gave an effective ultimatum to Mr Putin: sack me, or sack Mr Ivanov for trying to undermine what the army is doing in Chechnya.

The President has been criticised in recent months for taking too soft a line with the army.

Reforms needed

Our correspondent says that attempts at much-needed military reform have been little more than cosmetic.

A project to turn Russia's army into a fully professional force by 2010 had to be shelved because of the strong resistance from the military.

Some analysts suggested that Mr Putin was too unsure of his position in relation to the generals to tackle them head on.

By sacking General Troshev, Mr Putin has shown that Mr Ivanov has his support.

Checkpoint abuses

The defence minister had been repeatedly criticised for failing to impose his will - particularly on senior officers serving in Chechnya.

Russia admitted that Chechens were abused by soldiers at checkpoints

In a rare public acknowledgement of abuses in the breakaway republic, Russian Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov has denounced violations committed by Russian troops in Chechnya.

Mr Gryzlov accepted there were numerous cases of abuse by Russian troops at checkpoints, including extortion, abduction and even murder.

Earlier, the lower house of the parliament, Duma, urged President Putin to introduce a state of emergency in Chechnya to help protect the rights of the civilian population and strengthen civilian control over the actions of Russian troops in Chechnya.