Russian troops killed up to 40 Chechen rebels in the Caucasus while Moscow hosted world leaders for celebrations marking victory in World War Two, an army spokesman said today.
Fearing a repeat of Chechen attacks aimed at past May 9th Victory Day parades, authorities introduced tough security measures across Russia before the arrival of more than 50 heads of state, including President Bush.
But the army spokesman denied any link between the Moscow events and the Chechnya security operation, which ran from May 5th to May 10th.
"The special operation was not linked to Victory Day festivities. It was a number of local special operations, mainly in mountainous regions," he said. "We are searching for rebels and we kill those who show resistance."
The three days of summitry and ceremony passed smoothly in the Russian capital, much of which was sealed off to the public, and the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany was marked across the country without the bloodshed of previous years.
A bombing in a Grozny stadium on May 9th last year killed the Moscow-backed leader of Chechnya and six others, while a bombing on the same day in 2002 in the neighbouring region of Dagestan killed 45 people.
Rebels have fought Russian rule for a decade, with attacks on Russian forces a daily occurrence in Chechnya and often in neighbouring regions on Russia's southern border. The war has killed thousands of Russian soldiers and tens of thousands of Chechens.