Chechen Rebels Hold Off Russian Forces For 3rd Day Rebel Offensive Humiliating For Boris Yeltsin On Eve Of His Inauguration As President

Casting a bloody, embarrassing backdrop for today’s inauguration of Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin, Chechen rebels held off the vast forces of the federal army for a third day Thursday in a fierce battle for control of Chechnya’s ragged capital, Grozny.

One armored unit managed to break through the rebel cordon in the morning and beat back attacks aimed at taking the main government building. But most of the Russian reinforcements remained blocked by land mines and shackled by the hit-and-run tactics that the legendary fighters of Chechnya have mastered for centuries.

Having made their point that Chechnya will never live docilely under the yoke of Russia, the rebels are expected to eventually slip out of the embattled city, which they have little hope of holding while surrounded by tens of thousands of federal troops and a staggering arsenal of aircraft and armor.

But as Russian officialdom prepared to honor Yeltsin with a lavish inauguration ceremony in the Kremlin, the agents of his most humiliating failure in nearly five years as Russia’s leader seemed unlikely to relax their offensive before crushing the mood for celebration.

Yeltsin’s inauguration already takes place under the shadow of renewed concern about his health. Out of the public eye for the past six weeks except for staged videotapes and a brief visit with Vice President Al Gore, Yeltsin plans to depart immediately after the ceremony for what aides say is a needed “real vacation.”

The 65-year-old president with a history of heart trouble has appeared pale and fatigued, even in the choreographed footage, fueling speculation that his health continues to deteriorate.

Today’s ceremony has been shortened to less than 30 minutes.

The latest raid began at dawn Tuesday when hundreds of rebels swept into the Chechen capital, startling the federal units into fleeing.Russian media with correspondents caught in the sealed-off and embattled center of Grozny report that the federal forces have suffered at least 70 deaths and 300 injuries in three days of fighting dominated by the rebels. Federal troops also have lost dozens of tanks and artillery pieces, nine helicopters and one fixed-wing aircraft, the Interfax news agency reported.