ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS
MOMENT.
IF IT IS CHANGED, WITHOUT
BEFORE THE BETTER OR WORSE?
EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE GREEN ON
IS THAT UKRAINE HAS BEEN ABLE
TO FIGHT THE GROUND ADVANCE TO
HALT ALMOST EVERYWHERE.
IN SOME CASES, UKRAINIANS ARE
GAINING SOME TERRITORY.
ONE OF THE REASONS THIS RUSSIAN
FAILURE HAS SURPRISED OBSERVERS
IN EXPERTS BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE
ASSUMED THAT RUSSIA HAD LEARNED
FROM ITS PREVIOUS BOTCHED
MILITARY OPERATIONS.
BECAUSE RUSSIA HAS BEEN IN THIS
SITUATION BEFORE, LESS THAN 30
YEARS AGO.
WHEN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN
SENT A COLUMN OF TANKS INTO
NEIGHBOR CHECHNYA.
THE AIM WAS TO TAKE CHECKING'S
CAPITAL AND TAKE DOWN ITS BID
FOR INDEPENDENCE.
IT DID NOT GO AS PLANNED.
>> TONIGHT, YELTSIN IS IN
SERIOUS TROUBLE AT HOME AND
ABROAD AS A RESULT OF HIS
CLUMSY AND SO FAR DISASTER IT'S
INVASION OF THE BREAKAWAY
CHECHNYA.
WE ARE IN THE MOUNTAINOUS
PROVINCE THAT WILL NOT DIE.
>> HUNDREDS OF CHAMPIONS HEADED
TO THE CENTER OF GROZNY TO SEE
WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE RUSSIAN
ARMY, WHO ARE WIPED OUT THERE
TRYING TO CAPTURE THE
PRESIDENTIAL PALACE.
THEY MADE A TACTICAL MISTAKE OF
SITTING IN THEIR FIGHTING
VEHICLES WITHOUT INFANTRY
SUPPORT.
THEY PICKED THEM OFF FROM
ROOFTOPS AND STREET CORNERS.
WHEN THE THREE-DAY BATTLE WAS
OVER, VEHICLES WERE SCATTERED
IN THE SQUARE.
THE CHECHEN CELEBRATED THEIR
VICTORY AGAINST THE MIGHTY
RUSSIAN ARMY WITH A TRADITIONAL
WAR.
THERE IS NO PLACE MORE SYMBOLIC
AND MORE IMPORTANT THAN THEIR
PRESIDENTIAL PALACE.
IF RESIDENTS DO GET
REINFORCEMENTS, THEY WILL
PROBABLY TRY TO TAKE IT AGAIN.
THESE TROOPS, NOT CONSCRIPTS,
HAVE SEEN BATTLE FOR THE THIRD
TIME.
THIS 19-YEAR-OLD WAS SENT FROM
MORE THAN 1000 MILES AWAY.
HE HAD NEVER HEARD OF GROZNY
BEFORE HIS 200 MAN COMPANY
REACHED THE ROTATION IN THE
MIDDLE OF A BATTLE.
HE'S ONE OF THREE SURVIVORS.
THE CHECHENS --
>> WE TALK NOW ABOUT HOW MUCH
SMALLER UKRAINE IS THEN RUSSIA,
BUT CHECHNYA WAS TINY.
UKRAINE HAS OVER 40 MILLION
PEOPLE.
CHECHNYA HAD 1 MILLION.
THEY MANAGED TO STOP A TANK
COLUMN AND WHAT ABOUT AN ENTIRE
BRIGADE OF ONE OF THE WORLD'S
MOST POWERFUL ARMIES.
LONGTIME NEW YORK TIMES FOREIGN
CORRESPONDENT WAS IN GROZNY AT
THE TIME.
SHE SAYS THERE WAS, QUOTE, A
STUNNING SILENCE IN RUSSIA IN
THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED AS THE
LEADERSHIP OF THE STOCK OF WHAT
HAPPENED IN THE ARMY, AND THE
ARMY SENT IN REINFORCEMENTS.
SHE DESCRIBED WHAT HAPPENED
NEXT.
QUOTE, THE RUSSIAN ARMY
UNLEASHED A TERRIFYING
ONSLAUGHT OF AIR AND ARTILLERY
STRIKES ON THE CITY.
A MODERN, EUROPEAN CITY BECAME
A RAVAGE MOONSCAPE.
I REMEMBER HOW BUILDINGS WERE
SHOWN IN HALF, AND THE CONTENTS
OF PEOPLE'S LIVES BUILD OUT OF
THEIR APARTMENTS INTO THE OPEN
AIR.
AFTER THREE MONTHS, RUSSIAN
FORCES TOOK THE CITY CENTER,
AND SOLDIERS SAT ON PLASTIC
CHAIRS GUARDING A WASTELAND OF
DESTROYED BUILDINGS, GOUGED
EARTH AND STRICKEN TREE STUMPS.
AFTER LEVELING THE PLACE,
RUSSIAN SIGNED A PEACE DEAL
WITH CHECHNYA.
BUT RUSSIA DID NOT SEEM TO GET
MUCH OUT OF THE DEAL BESIDES
WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION AND TENS
OF THOUSANDS OF DEATHS.
THEY SEEM TO TAXIS LEE
ACKNOWLEDGED THAT'S
INDEPENDENCE.
BUT THAT BOARDS JOHNSON TAPPED
VLADIMIR PUTIN TO BE RUSSIA'S
PRIME MINISTER.
PUTIN DECIDED HE WOULD FINISH
THE JOB.
>> THE PEOPLE HERE ARE STILL
DAZED.
THE SURPRISE ATTACK PORTER
CENTRAL MARKET.
THE SUDDEN BRUTAL REIGN OF
ROCKETS WAS UNEXPECTED.
THIS HOME VIDEO TAKEN MOMENTS
AFTER THE ATTACK HERE IN THE
HEART OF CHECHNYA, WHERE NEARBY
WITNESSES SAY FOUR MISSILES
EXPLODED OVERHEAD.
U.S. OFFICIALS SAY THEY WERE'S
CUTS.
WITH THE MINUTES, THE DEAD WERE
EVERYWHERE.
THE CHECHENS CLAIMED 120 DIED,
400 INJURED.
TODAY, MOSCOW SAYS IT IS NOT
RESPONSIBLE.
BY MR. PUTIN SAID CHECHNYA
REBELS.
THE WAR LOOKS LIKE IT IS
ESCALATING.
RUSSIA'S THREATENING TO DOUBLE
ITS FORCES IN CHECHNYA TO 100
DOESN'T SHOW.
>> THE ASSAULT BEGAN CHRISTMAS
DAY.
THE RUSSIANS USE MULTIPLE
MISSILES.
NOW REPORTS THAT THEY ARE USED
ZINC AIR EXPLOSIVES THAT DROP
HUGE BALLS OF FIRE.
PRIME MINISTER VLADIMIR PUTIN
REPORTED TO BORIS YELTSIN
SAYING THE WAR PLAN IS
HAPPENING.
>> THE NEXT YEAR, VLADIMIR
PUTIN BECAME RUSSIA'S PRESIDENT,
AND HE KEPT AT IT IN CHECHNYA
FOR NINE MORE YEARS.
BY THE TIME RUSSIAN FORCES LEFT
FOR THE SECOND TIME, NOT ONLY
WAS CHECHNYA REDUCED TO RUBBLE
ONCE AGAIN, BUT PUTIN HAD
INSTALLED HIS OWN PUPPET LEADER
THERE WHO HAS NOW RULED
CHECHNYA FOR OVER 15 YEARS WITH
THE TORIES CRUELTY.
HE CURRENTLY HAS CHECHEN FORCES
FIGHTING FOR RUSSIA IN UKRAINE.
REMEMBER YESTERDAY, WHEN
RUSSIA'S CHIEF NEGOTIATOR OF
THE PEACE TALKS IN HIS TEMPLE
SAID RUSSIA WOULD TAKE STEPS TO
THIS ESCALATE MILITARY
OPERATIONS AROUND UKRAINE'S
CAPITAL.
TODAY, PUTIN'S HANDPICKED DEATH
SQUAD THAT CONTROLS CHECHNYA
PUT OUT THIS VIDEO WHEN HE SAYS
RUSSIA'S NEGOTIATOR WAS WRONG.
RUSSIA WILL MAKE NO CONCESSION.
PUTIN WILL NOT STOP.
RUSSIAN FORCES WILL BE GOING
INTO KYIV IN A FEW DAYS.
LOOK, THIS GUY MAY NOT KNOW
WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT, BUT IT
IS A REMINDER FOR VLADIMIR
PUTIN THAT HIS DECADE AND A
HALF OF GRINDING WAR IN
CHECHNYA WAS NOT TO HAVE A
BETTER MILITARY STRATEGY.
IF YOU REDUCE A PLACE TO RUBBLE,
YOU GET TO INSTALL YOUR MOST
LOYAL, RUTHLESS HENCHMEN TO RUN
IT, SOMEONE WHO WILL BE YOUR
BIGGEST CHEERLEADER IN AN
EXHIBITION.
EVERYONE SUSPICION IS THAT
PUTIN MAY BE USING THESE PEACE
TALKS TO BUY TIME AND REGROUP,
AND LAUNCH A NEW OFFENSIVE.
DESPITE RUSSIA'S CLAIMS THAT
THEY WILL DE-ESCALATE AROUND
KYIV AND CHERNIHIV, THIS WAS
CHERNIHIV THIS MORNING.
A MARKET BUILDING DESTROYED BY
RUSSIAN STRIKES OVERNIGHT,
EERILY SIMILAR TO THAT MARKET