Stuck In Chechnya

Military sources say the two generals had been removed for objecting to the cease-fire. A Russian observer of the military told TIME that Shamanov, known for an abrasive tongue, was particularly vehement: he reportedly declared that "no lieutenant colonel will ever stop me in Chechnya." Former kgb Lieut. Colonel Putin's response was swift: he removed him. But faced with an uproar in top military circles, he backed down--halfway.

A fierce critic of Moscow's policy, neighboring Ingushetia's President Ruslan Aushev believes Putin is heading toward disaster. Russian generals have learned nothing, he told TIME last week. Troops lack the motivation to fight a long war, and "tanks and artillery solve nothing here." Sure, the massive men and materiel Russia is throwing into the war should eventually prevail--for a time. Moscow has committed 140,000 men to crush the revolt of a Chechen population hovering around 100,000. Sooner or later, Russian troops "will get into Grozny and raise the flag," says Aushev. "But what then?"

Last week's raids help answer that question. They serve to remind the Russians of a very nasty reality about wars in Chechnya. Capturing a town does not make you the victor. It makes you the target.

--With reporting by Yuri Zarakhovich/Moscow