DUDAYEV SUPPORTERS RALLY IN GROZNY.

"Thousands" (by the Russian authorities’ admission) of men and women rallied in front of the destroyed presidential palace in Grozny, carrying national flags and portraits of Dzhokhar Dudayev, to mark October 27, the fourth anniversary of Dudayev’s election as president of Chechnya. Placards and chants called for Chechen independence and the withdrawal of Russian troops. They also denounced Moscow’s appointment of the republic’s former communist leader, Doku Zavgayev, as prime minister. Russian soldiers did not interfere with the rally but stopped buses bringing would-be participants from outlying districts. (7)

Pro-Dudayev rallies have occurred regularly in central Grozny but this one was among the largest yet. Russian troops have put up with such rallies as a concomitant to the political negotiations conducted by Russian officials with Dudayev’s delegates in the city.

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