Unabated rebel hits toughen Putin's stand on Chechens

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MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin's rise was powered largely by a pledge to take down Chechen separatists. Yet the rebels are still killing Russian soldiers and appear increasingly bold in spilling civilian blood -- being blamed for three dramatic attacks in little over a week.

Mr. Putin's options seem limited.

His refusal to negotiate with the rebels and his rhetoric on wiping them out suggests he's leaving little room to maneuver.

A campaign to win an overwhelming military victory in Chechnya appears remote as well. The 20-month war against the separatists in 1994-96 showed that the Russian army, underfunded and plagued by low morale, was ultimately not effective against a small but motivated guerrilla force.

And granting the rebels' demand for independence would fly in the face of a decade of firm official statements that Chechnya is an integral part of Russia. Chechens have shown the strongest resistance to Moscow's rule, but officials fear that releasing the mountainous region could open the door to other secessionist movements in the sprawling, diverse nation.

Instead, Mr. Putin appears committed to his strategy of a massive military presence in the republic, combined with what appear to be token efforts to restore a measure of civil society. It's an approach that has brought little success.

Militants with ties to Chechen rebels are being blamed for bringing down two planes last month, a suicide bombing at a Moscow subway station last Tuesday and seizing a school full of children Wednesday in a region that borders Chechnya.

But with firm control over the media, parliament and security, Mr. Putin likely will weather the storm.

Although Russians have a tremendous desire to be rid of the Chechnya imbroglio, most also harbor inherent admiration for their president's tough persona, great anger against the Chechens and a deep-rooted fear of any further dissolution of their sprawling but diminished empire.

In nearly five years in power, Mr. Putin has survived an array of disasters and embarrassments.