OMRI DAILY DIGEST

No. 21, Part I, 30 January 1996

Duma Defense Committee Chairman Lev Rokhlin, who was elected to the Duma on the pro-government Our Home Is Russia ticket, said recalling troops from Chechnya now would only allow Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudaev to import more weapons, ITAR-TASS reported on 29 January. He added, "Dudaev clearly is not satisfied with the territory of Chechnya itself" and will attack neighboring republics of the Russian Federation if "decisive measures" are not taken to destroy his armed formations. Lt. Gen. Rokhlin led troops during the storming of Grozny in the early weeks of the fighting but refused to accept a medal for his efforts. -- Laura Belin