CHECHNYA CONCERNED OVER MILITARY EXERCISES.

On March 29, the North Caucasus Military District’s "Redut-97" command-staff exercises in North Ossetia were completed. The drills were held after Interior Minister Anatoly Kulikov visited the Northern Caucasus. Russia’s General Staff chief, Viktor Samsonov, flew down from Moscow especially for the event. The exercises were more than just routine insofar as Interior Ministry troops took part alongside regular army units, despite the fact that the former have a completely different mission from the latter. (RTR, March 29) Although the purpose of the drills was ostensibly to guarantee the security of Russia’s borders with Chechnya and to thwart any possible terrorist acts, the maneuvers have caused concern among the Chechen authorities, who have called "Redut" a show of military force. (RTR, March 29)

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