Robert Young ' Pelton went to rebel-held Chechnya last winter, despite Russian attempts to bar journalists from entering the region, to investigate what was going on at the front lines. His companions were Sarah Richards, a Canadian freelance writer, and Sedat Aral, a Turkish war photographer. To get into Chechnya, they had to contact the mafia in Istanbul, get the blessing of the Chechen diaspora and sneak in through the southern border, across a mountain range higher than the Alps. They hid in safe houses and were protected from kidnappers by heavily armed fighters. Once inside, their first stop was the capital of Grozny, where they managed to get out just an hour before Russian troops surrounded the city. Then they traveled to Shali, a few miles to the south, thinking it would be safer. But soon Shali was surrounded also. Here's a look at the war from the Chechen side.
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