Gunmen attacked a Russian military convoy in the Chechnya region on Tuesday, killing at least five servicemen and wounding as many as 25 others, officials said.
Pro-rebel Web sites claimed more than 20 Russian soldiers were killed.
The convoy was traveling near the town of Avtury southeast of the Chechen capital, Grozny, when it came under fire from three or four areas, the Interior Ministry in the mostly Muslim republic in southern Russia said. It said preliminary information indicated seven servicemen were killed and 25 wounded.
The attack came as Putin played down fighting in Chechnya, stressing that the Russian military is not on the offensive and said local security and law enforcement has taken the leading role.
"There are no combat actions going on there. There are outbursts of terrorist actions, but no combat actions," Putin told an international meeting in Moscow.
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