Moscow - Acting President Vladimir Putin named a special representative yesterday to deal with a growing international chorus of complaints over alleged human rights abuses in Chechnya. He is Mr Vladimir Kalamanov, head of Russia's immigration service. Mr Putin's main spokesman on Chechnya, Mr Sergei Yastrzhembsky, angrily denied reports that Russian troops had tortured, raped and executed Chechen civilians in a special detention centre and accused some foreign media of spreading lies.
Mr Yastrzhembsky also told reporters the Chechen fighters were being pushed deeper into the mountains of southern Chechnya, but the rebels' spokesman predicted a long and fierce partisan war.