An elderly Russian woman walks out to the centre of a frozen lake to collect water. By this time the city had been without electricity and running water for over a week. .In December 1994 Russian troops entered Chechnya in an attempt to quash the countryÕs independence movement. Early promises of a quick victory were soon silenced as the Chechens put up fierce resistance to the Russian assault and the death toll mounted. Up to 100,000 people Ð many of them civilians Ð are estimated to have been killed in the 20 month war that followed.