51.  Chechen commanders acknowledge that they are losing ground to the larger, better equipped Russian forces in the steppes of northern Chechnya.

52.  Chechen commanders insisted their fighters were resisting but conceded that it would be hard for them to prevent Russian forces from annexing the northern part of the republic.

53.  Chechen rebels mourned their fallen leader on Wednesday and vowed to carry on the fight against Russian forces for independence of the region in southern Russia.

54.  Col. Gen. Viktor Kazantsev, the commander of Russian forces in the North Caucasus, drove the point home Monday in an appearance before Russian television reporters.

55.  Col. Gen. Viktor Kazantsev, the commander of the Russian forces in the North Caucasus, provided an answer of sorts for that criticism.

56.  Currently, much of the fighting is concentrated around Grozny, which Russian forces are bombarding with aircraft and artillery.

57.  Coordination and command issues must be sorted out with Moscow, which seems to think Russian forces can operate independently in Kosovo.

58.  Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev said on Tuesday that Russian forces plan to take firm control of the entire region, a goal that eluded them in the previous war.

59.  Despite the rising toll, former President Boris Yeltsin said Thursday that he was convinced that Russian forces would soon triumph.

60.  Dagestan has long been the site of clashes between Russian forces and armed clans in a spillover from the fighting in Chechnya.