Many of the rebels who fled Grozny headed for five villages 20 kilometers west of the city. Russian gunships and artillery harried the retreating rebels and Russian armor and infantry moved towards the villages to clean them out. The rebels are trying to reach the mountains, but the Russians have operated in  the areas surrounding Grozny for several months and are familiar with the terrain. They have organized their artillery to quickly bring fire on likely rebel travel routes. Thus prepared, the Russians are inflicting heavy losses on the rebels moving towards the mountains south of the city.