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Words
in the News
Monday 17 September 2001
Vocabulary from the news. Listen to and read the report then find
explanations of difficult words below.
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Russian troops on high alert
Summary: Russian troops in the Chechen capital, Grozny, are on high alert after reports of an attack by separatist groups on the second city of Gudermes. Media reports in Russia say as many as four hundred rebels entered the city. This report by Chloe Arnold.
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The
News 
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Russian media are reporting that hundreds of separatists descended on Gudermes early on Monday morning. Some reports say the rebels have taken control of the city after attacking military units and police checkpoints in the area. The Kremlin initially denied the reports, saying an attack on Gudermes on Sunday evening was quickly brought under control. But a spokesman from the Kremlin's Chechnya office told the BBC on Monday morning that the situation in Gudermes was complicated and that he was still waiting to confirm the reports.
Moscow began a second war in Chechnya two years ago after a series of attacks on apartment blocks across the country which were blamed on Chechen rebels. Chechen fighters had also begun incursions into the neighbouring region of Dagestan. Russian troops recaptured the city of Gudermes from rebels early on in the conflict, establishing it as a temporary regional capital. The pro-Moscow administration has since been moved back to Grozny.
CHLOE ARNOLD, BBC NEWS, MOSCOW
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The
Words
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descended on
If you descend on an area then you arrive there suddenly, often without warning
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taken control
if you take control of a place then you become in charge of it, you have the power to run it
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military units
small, specialised groups who are part of a larger armed force
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checkpoints
places where vehicles, or people, are forced to stop so that they can be checked or searched
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brought under control
in this case, brought under control means that the attack on the city was stopped by the Russian forces
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incursions
small military invasions, often temporary, or accidental
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neighbouring region
a neighbouring region is the part of a country which is next to another part of the same or a different country
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recaptured
if you recapture something, then you take it back, or capture it again
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early on
near the start (of the armed fighting)
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Read
more about this story |
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Other Words in the News archives
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