Big war in Chechnya is over

Commander-in-Chief of the North Caucasian Military District Colonel General Vladimir Boldirev made such a statement at an enlarged meeting of the district's military council today. Over 600 rebels have been annihilated in Chechnya for the six months of 2003, according to his words. Large bandit units of the rebels have been annihilated due to the federal forces' active actions, stressed the general.

However, the "small war" is going on. As it was reported by the regional operations headquarters to control the counterterrorist operation in the Northern Caucasus, a "Zhiguli" car with an explosive assembly containing 300 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, aluminum powder and electrodetonator was detected yesterday on the outskirts of the Novy Sharoy settlement, Chechnya's Achkhoy-Martan district. The explosive assembly was neutralized by technicians. The case is under investigation.