81.  In a last spasm of violence, Chechen fighters who slipped out of the village Wednesday night, aided by reinforcements from nearby Chechnya, counterattacked against Russian forces.

82.  In a weekend interview with the British Broadcasting Corp., Putin repeated the military line that Russian forces have effectively crushed rebel resistance.

83.  In addition, he stressed that the primary task of the Russian forces would be to build peace in Chechnya.

84.  In both cases, Chechen forces withdrew after heavy artillery and air bombardment from encircling Russian forces.

85.  In signing the agreement, Ivanov also reached agreements with Georgia and Moldova to withdraw Russian forces from their territories in coming years.

86.  In January, Radio Liberty reporter Andrei Babitsky was detained in Chechnya by Russian forces.

87.  In the first phase of the current campaign Russian forces advanced steadily, behind inaccurate but lethal artillery and air strikes, through the lowlands of northern Chechnya.

88.  Indeed, the toll in this incident is tiny compared with the sickening casualties which Russian forces continue to suffer, and inflict, in the Caucasus.

89.  Instead, Russian forces hope to advance methodically through the city, calling in devastating artillery and air strikes when they encounter resistance.

90.  Indeed, Russian forces stepped up their assault on the breakaway southern republic later Monday.