Putin is in Chechnya

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Chechnya on Saturday. Putin flew over the territory where the Pskov paratroopers were killed in March 2000, RTR television said. Putin laid wreaths on the mountain where the paratroopers fought. Then he headed for the village of Khatuni, where he visited one of the special divisions. Putin is currently conducting a meeting at a federal base in Khankala. The president is accompanied by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov, and also Press Minister Mikhail Lesin, Interfax reports. According to information possessed by RTR television, at this meeting with the command of the combined federal force in Chechnya Putin will address the problem of payment of allowances to officers and soldiers for service in Chechnya.