CHECHNYA . . . THE WAR IS OVER (BUT NOT THE KILLING)

The Russian Security Council today formally announced the end of military operations inChechnya, transferring command to the Interior Ministry. Someone should tell the Russian soldiers who are still bombing Chechnya.TIME Moscow correspondent Yuri Zarakhovichnotes that the announcement is at odds with the facts: even at home in Moscow, Russians can watch the continuing bombardment of Grozny, the Chechen capital, on television news. "The carnage is still going on," says Zarakhovich. The new arrangement puts the military under the command of Interior -- something that is bound to create its own set of problems. "Yeltsin can say he has transferred power to the Interior Ministry," says Zarakhovich. "But that's not what is really going to happen: The Russian military doesn't like to be commanded."