A Russian soldier died and six were wounded as Chechen rebel fighters launched attacks in Grozny and Argun, 10 kilometers east of the breakaway republic's capital, Russian military sources said Wednesday.
Russian forces also killed four Chechen guerrillas in the southern Vedeno district, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted an official with the federal forces headquarters in the north Caucasus as saying.
There were contradictory reports about the situation in Argun, with the rebels saying they were in control the town and the Kremlin denying such claims and saying no fighting was going on there.
Monday, Chechen rebel fighters launched a mass offensive against Gudermes, Chechnya's second largest city.
The rebels claim to still be holding positions inside the city, while the Kremlin said Russian forces had been able to repel the separatist fighters.
Chechen guerrillas also killed two generals and eleven other soldiers Monday as they downed a helicopter in Khankala, a town near Grozny where the Russian headquarters in Chechnya are based.
Federal forces in Grozny have been placed on maximum alert since the beginning of the week.
Russia sent its troops into Chechnya on October 1, 1999 to put down a separatist insurgency -- MOSCOW (AFP)
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