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Desultory peace talks among representatives of the Russian government, the Moscow-installed Chechen government and General Dudayev were suspended last month after General Anatoly Romanov, commander of all Russian troops, was gravely wounded. His convoy was hit by two radio-controlled explosives as it went through an underpass in central Grozny. Romanov is still in a coma.
That attack prompted Yeltsin to consider declaring a state of emergency in Chechnya, which would have allowed Kremlin hard-liners to unleash a full-scale military offensive aimed at finishing off Dudayev. But for now, at least, Yeltsin has balked. He is already blamed for launching Russia's first post-Soviet war, at a cost of thousands of lives and billions of dollars, while undermining democratic ideals at home. Restarting the war could damage Yeltsin politically just before domestic Duma elections Dec. 17 and trigger another round of international condemnation.
The sense of wartime tension hangs heaviest over Grozny, a capital that only 18 months ago was a bright, bustling city of half a million people. Today it is a chaotic, rubble-strewn obstacle course of potholed streets and improvised market stalls patrolled by an occupying army. There is no heat, water or electricity for vast sections of the city, although local officials estimate that 275,000 residents have returned since the truce began. The city virtually shuts down by 6 p.m.; the nights are filled with the crackle of gunfire. "I dream about being able to take a break from this place,'' says Islam Abubakirov, a 20-year-old student. "Just a week somewhere quiet. Anywhere.''
The power vacuum encourages criminality in a city already notorious for its well-organized gangs. On Nov. 5 a female Russian soldier who rudely complained about the price of Polaroid film in the central market was shot to death by an offended Chechen. An armored personnel carrier has been seen roaring down the streets with masked Russian soldiers crouched on top carrying a sign that says get out of the way or we will run you over. Sighed one powerless policeman: "Grozny is a city out of control.''
For most of the Russian soldiers living in Chechnya, there is little sense of mission and considerable frustration. The makeshift hospital at Grozny's airport receives two dozen injured soldiers a week and is preparing more bed space. Misha, 27, an officer in the elite division of the Russian-controlled Ministry of the Interior, says what everybody thinks: "It's very likely the war could start again.'' In fact, the peace is a lot like the war already.