Military official comments on upcoming operations in Chechnya

The situation at the site of military activities of the consolidateddivision of federal forces in the North Caucasus remains complicated, butcontrollable, the commander of the consolidated division, Colonel-GeneralVladimir Moltenskoy declared as he arrived from vacation recently.According to him, the remaining parts of illegal groups are now locatedmainly in forests, but they will be forced out of there by fall andcompletely annihilated by fall and wintertime.Talking about the withdrawal of Russian military detachments from Chechnya,Moltenskoy stressed that "the terms of this process earlier declared by thegovernment are being strictly followed." At present, excessive militarydetachments and military equipment are being moved away from the Republicof Chechnya. "We move away those military forces that we don't need andoptimize the structure of the other ones," the official remarked. He addedthat further steps about regrouping military forces would be determined atupcoming sessions of the staff of the Russian Security Council..