RUSSIAN POSITION HARDENING AGAIN.

Chechen leaders havecharged, and Russian government statements and media reports confirm,that Russian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin is under enormouspressure not to make any concessions to the Chechens. He saidas much in a television interview July 19, and Yeltsin’s personalrepresentative at the talks said there could be no more concessions.Moreover, the Russian media has been full of reports of two horrificmurders which may be provocations, of the continuing losses ofRussian personnel in the region, and even of a claim that theChechens have recently obtained 10 Stinger missiles. Such reportshighlight Arkady Volsky’s earlier suggestion that the "partyof war" remains a major factor in Moscow.

The Missing Remain Missing.