51.   Shabad said the rebel troops of Chechen leader Dzhokhar Dudayev had left Samashky before the Russian assault, but residents, armed with submachine guns, continued to resist.

52.   Tens of thousands of civilians had fled Grozny fearing a Russian assault against the separatists, who seized the city in a swift offensive earlier this month.

53.   The attacks came amid apparent preparations for another Russian assault.

54.   The attacks came amid apparent preparations for another Russian assault on Grozny, where heavy fog today limited visibility to a few blocks and sharply reduced shelling.

55.   The delegation will not try to mediate an end to the month-long Russian military assault, which shows no sign of abating.

56.   The latest Russian assault was in Sernovodsk, in western Chechnya.

57.   The official accused the rebels of trying to provoke a Russian assault.

58.   The Russian assault has left the city a wasteland of shattered buildings, and some officials had proposed abandoning it.

59.   The surprise attack on Grozny came during a Russian assault on the town of Sernovodsk in western Chechnya.

60.   The surprise attack on Grozny came only days after a Russian assault on the town of Sernovodsk in western Chechnya.