Grozny updates

Fighting continued in Grozny, Chechnya, as morning succeeded a night of insurgent activity in the North Caucasus city.

At approximately 1 a.m. local time last night, Chechen insurgents killed several police and occupied the Grozny Press House media facility. Current reports have five Russian police killed in addition to seven dead insurgents.

The media building bore heavy gunfire from the Russian Army throughout the night.

The building burned as morning came on. Russian tv channels reportedly interrupted some programming to show live reporting from Grozny.

The Chechen Center, which identifies itself as “Independent Chechen Media, Chechnya, Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, ChRI, Ichkeria,” tweeted, “300 freedom fighters stormed the positions of Russian troops in Grozny. For our freedom and yours!”

Early in the morning, head of the Chechen Republic and a former Chechen rebel, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced that the insurgents were “about to be neutralized.”

Kadyrov claimed to be personally supervising the anti-terrorist operation (ATO). Shortly after 8 a.m.–time appointed by Kadyrov for the end of the mission, Chechen militants blocked a school, and Russian forces assaulted the building.

Fighting continued in the streets of Grozny into the day.

Kadyrov denied claims that the Chechen force was gaining control.

“I ask residents in areas where the (security) operation is being carried out to take precautions, and not to go outside without urgent need, nor to approach the windows,” wrote Kadyrov online. “All the talk about the city being under the control of militants is absolutely false.”