Chechen rebels on Monday killed 24 Russian paratroopers without suffering any casualties in a one-hour battle in the republic's southeastern mountains, a guerrilla spokesman claimed.
The soldiers were ambushed near the village of Kurchali, 50 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of the rebel capital Grozny in the Vedeno region, Movladi Udugov said by telephone.
Twelve other Russian soldiers were hurt, said the spokesman, who is close to Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev.
A spokesman for the Kremlin, which has repeatedly brushed aside similar Chechen claims in the past, said by telephone: "This report is unlikely to be true" -- MOSCOW (AFP)
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