MAKHACHKALA, September 23 (AVN) - Federal troops may start a ground operation in Chechnya soon, a source in the Dagestan-based united federal command told the Military News Agency on Thursday.
AVN correspondents in Dagestan, Ingushetia, and North Ossetia bordering with Chechnya have confirmed this information.
Reinforcements deployed in Dagestan are finishing digging in and strengthening their positions.
Aircraft and artillery are reinforcing the pounding of big guerrilla groups and fire emplacements in Chechen territory.
An AVN source in the General Staff hinted that the operation is likely to kick off from Dagestan, where the most powerful units of federal troops are amassed.
However, the best-trained and most numerous guerrilla forces are facing them from across the Chechen-Dagestani border.
The Ingushetia and North Ossetia groups of federal forces are not strong enough so far, a source close to the commander of Infantry Army 58, Major General Vladimir Shamanov, told the AVN.
Several hundreds of well-armed guerrillas are situated in the Dzhairakh gorge that divides Chechnya and Ingushetia. They are faced only by several tens of border guards.
Motorised Division 3 had arrived in the North Ossetian city of Mozdok from Nizhni Novgorod in central European Russia without tanks.
The AVN learnt that the first deputy chief-of-staff of the Russian armed forces, Colonel General Valery Manilov had been instructed to convince public opinion of the necessity of action against the criminal enclave in the North Caucasus.
He is heading a team of Defence Ministry ideological workers who are mapping out a plan of extensive campaign in Russian and foreign media.
To this end, Manilov held a news conference in Interfax news agency on Monday.
The country's political and military leaders are now willing to ensure the understanding of Russian citizens and the neutrality of the international community towards massive military action in Chechnya.