His political future is also tied to the rebel republic of Chechnya.

But Germany supports the independence of the rebel republics, with which it has strong historical ties.

Chechnya, the rebel republic where the guerrillas have made their base, long ago slipped out of Moscow's control.

However, the rebel Republic was a puppet state and was very short lived (discussed below).

In Moscow, the Government issued statements repeating its promise to step up military action to bring the rebel republic to heel.

President Bush is to visit Lithuania to get a first-hand report on the situation in the rebel Baltic republic.

And since the raid, he has become the rebel republic's national hero, a Chechen Robin Hood.

The rebel republic has already declared itself independent from the Soviet Union and President Gorbachev threatened grave consequences if its parliament doesn't renounce the decision.

"While Quebec sovereignty is solid and may henceforth have a majority, it does not have the massive character we see in those faraway rebel republics," she wrote.

The village was integrated into the rebel Republic of Serb Krajina during the Yugoslav Wars.