In Chechnya, Russian troops went after a rebel unit 30 kilometers southeast of Grozny, killing seven rebels. Meanwhile, rebels claim to have killed 17 soldiers 15 kilometers outside Grozny. Russia says that 3,096 of their soldiers have died in Chechnya over the past 19 months (with some 9,000 wounded), but critics say the death toll is much higher. However, no one has been able to prove that the government is lowballing the Chechnya casualties.