When a palestinian shoot dead an Israeli soldier thats OK. He is fighting against his enemy. But when they blow up a Cafe thats unacceptable. When a British soldier is killed N.Ireland I understand, lots of Irish people want to get rid of GB. But when IRA blow off the loo in the pub that's crime. I can understand some Chechens don't want their country being part of Russia and they are fighting against the Russian army but I can't understand them when they kill civilians.

can we expect to see a large scaled retaliation from the russiams?

I think not. How to retaliate that? Arrest several hundreds of Chechens and shoot them on the spot? Certainly not. More effective way could be only a full-scale air assault against terrorist supporting states. But they are US allies: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and such... They financially, politically and ideologically support all such movements (Chechen, Palestinian, and others). May be, they dont do this openly. But they are responcible too.

Not sure about Kuwait and the UAE. The Saudis are definitely a possibility, though I think the House of Saud is coming around on where terrorists stand vis a vis the royal family (they want them as dead as American soldiers and Russian civilians). I'd be looking at Iran. The Chechens have to be supplied from somewhere, and Iran is the closest fundie Islam state. The mullahs there used to refer to the USSR as the Lesser Satan (sorry, you guys play second fiddle in hell to the US, apparently), and since they don't change their spots often...

When a terrorist is a terrorist is a filthy terrorist. There is no difference in my eyes between russian civilians, israeli civilians, american civilians, Turks, etc... ect... All are senseless casualties, and the terrorists continue too keep me disgusted everyday. Whether it's Chechens rebels, Al Qeada, or the filthy lot of them!

if iran is funding the Chechen rebels, could we possibly see a combines russian and US force invading iran somewhere in the not to distant future, they both have a good reason.

"Russia does not negotiate with terrorists, it annihilates them." - Vladimir Putin, February 6, 2004 http://english.pravda.ru/main/18/88/350/11991_terrorism.html Get 'em, P-Vladdy!

Iran invasion is not possible in distant future. Iran is slowly turns to modern style of life. In 50 years it will become modern country, without religious fanatics. All Russian intelligence sources clearly say that main financial support to Chechens goes from Saudi (not from officials, but from private "investors"), and may be Osama.