NO END TO VIOLENCE IN CHECHNYA

The constitutional referendum has not brought peace to Chechnya. Eight civilians were killed on April 3 when a passenger bus was destroyed by a remote controlled mine. The mine was apparently intended for another bus carrying Chechen policemen. On the next day another explosion wounded six Russian special policemen serving in Grozny.

A land mine in Grozny killed five policemen and three civilians when their car hit it on April 7. A Russian armored personnel carrier exploded on April 8 after it too hit a land mine in Grozny. Two federal soldiers died and several others were wounded.

Masked gunmen in Grozny shot dead the deputy head of the Chechen section of the Federal postal service, and wounded his driver, on April 8. On the previous day, also in the Chechen capital, a senior police officer was attacked by unknown assailants who took away his pistol.