1.   Armed groups kidnap civilians and Russian security personnel from neighboring regions in order to demand prisoner swaps or ransom.

2.   But leaders of neighboring Caucasus regions appealed to Yeltsin to end the conflict.

3.   Indian soldiers suffered setbacks in neighboring Kaksar region, to the southeast, where fighting has raged for days over a barren mountain.

4.   The breakaway republic of Chechnya is reinforcing its border with neighboring Russian regions following similar moves by Moscow, Chechen officials said Sunday.