MOSCOW. April 30 (Interfax-AVN) - Chechen rebel leaders Aslan Maskhadov and Shamil Basayev remain in Chechnya, a high- ranking Defense Ministry spokesman told Interfax-Military News Agency on Friday.
"Maskhadov and Basayev along with other rebel leaders are still in Chechnya," he said.
"The elimination of the most notorious field commanders is hindered by several objective factors, the most important of which is the difficulty of infiltrating the clan social system in Chechnya which is closed to outsiders," he said.
"We should also acknowledge the lack of professionalism of those who were given the task of eliminating Basayev, Maskhadov and other international terrorists," the spokesman said.
The size of the rebel groups operating in Chechnya today ranges from several hundred to 1,500 members, he said.