Moscow, Aug 22: Nine Russian federal soldiers were killed near the Chechen capital of Grozny when a remote-controlled bomb exploded close to their vehicle, Russian military officials told a news agency today. The bomb was hidden inside a car on a side of the road and went off as a column of military vehicles drove by on Thursday afternoon, reported the agency.
Two soldiers were also wounded in the attack. Rebels in the Russian republic of Chechnya have stepped up attacks ahead of presidential elections, due to take place in the war-ravaged republic on October 5.
The elections come four years after Russian troops poured into the southern Caucasus republic to put down what the Kremlin said was a separatist insurgency. The poll will follow a March referendum, which was shunned by international observers, had a Soviet-reminiscent turnout of 89.5 per cent and, by a margin of 96 per cent approved Chechnya's place within the Russian federation. Bureau Report