RUSSIA: CHECHNYA: RUSSIAN ARTILLERY HIT PRESIDENTIAL PALACE

Natural Sound Russian artillery battered the centre of the Chechen capital this morning, but troops remained away from the presidential palace. There were no overnight air raids, but shells continued to rain down on central Grozny. Some set the presidential palace on fire - its top four floors are said to be burning out of control. President Dzhokhar Dudayev’s press service said Russian forces were using heavy artillery from about 20 kilometers (12 miles) away to lob rounds into the city.