During the battle of Corregidor in World War II, eyewitnesses described the "almost unimaginable scale of destruction. Death has been raining down everywhere."
That scene is now about to be replayed in Chechnya, where Russian troops have been destroying everything in their way. Moscow's aim increasingly seems to be to eliminate the Chechens as a nation.
This week, Russian military commanders offered a blunt ultimatum to the tens of thousands of civilians--mainly elderly and disabled people--who remain in Grozny, the Chechen capital: "There will be no more talks. Everyone who fails to leave the city [by Dec. 11] will be destroyed." Although relentless bombing by Russian planes has made it almost impossible for refugees to leave Grozny safely, Russian commanders warned that "those staying in the city will be regarded as terrorists and bandits."
The latest war in Chechnya began in August, three years after Russia was forced to accept a humiliating truce that deprived it of any control of the republic. During the previous war, from December 1994 to August 1996, Russian forces engaged in indiscriminate bombing and shelling of civilian targets, yet they were unable to defeat the resistance.
In this latest conflict, Russian military officers have avoided some of the worst mistakes they committed in 1994-96. Russian commanders have relied on the methodical advance of infantry and mechanized units, reinforced by massive air, missile and artillery strikes. Russian officers have used far more troops this time--100,000--and have sought to draw on the most reliable and best trained soldiers.
Despite these improvements, the campaign in Chechnya has not redressed the underlying problems and weaknesses of the Russian Army. The army overall is still in disarray. The troops are still poorly suited for counterinsurgency operations and mountain warfare, the two types of fighting that will be essential if Russia hopes to reestablish military control over Chechnya.
That is why Russia's campaign has become a war of extermination. Without the capacity to take on Chechen guerrillas in hand-to-hand combat, Russian forces instead are trying to bring about the outright destruction of the Chechen republic.
