Russia has always talked tough. Last week, the world got a double dose of invective, however. First, residents of the Chechen capital of Grozny were told to "get out or die" before the Russian military launched an assault. A few days later, Russian President Boris Yeltsin expressed his displeasure with U.S. policy by noting that "Russia is a great power that possesses a nuclear arsenal." Both comments were later qualified and toned down, but they reveal Russia's growing frustration with recent events. Unfortunately for Moscow, there is little that it can do about its place in the world. Escalating the violence in Grozny and lashing out at erstwhile partners will only make matters worse.
Western and Muslim nations have viewed Russia's military campaign against the Chechens with growing repugnance. The level of outrage reached a crescendo over leaflets dropped from aircraft onto the besieged capital with an ultimatum that the Russian military later claimed was only a warning. After a storm of international condemnation, Moscow redefined its intentions, but not its goal. It extended the Dec. 11 deadline and opened a safe corridor for refugees to escape the city. It has also promised to provide village havens, which hopefully will not turn into internment camps.
Mr. Yeltsin's comment came during a visit to China, during which he and his Chinese counterpart, Mr. Jiang Zemin, commiserated about U.S. unilateralism and international restraints on their freedom to do what they wished against minorities within their borders. Russian and American officials played down Mr. Yeltsin's hyperbole; some attributed the comments to the Russian president's ill health.