Elizabeth Farnsworth takes a look at who's in charge in Moscow as Russia once again confronts its breakaway republic of Chechnya.

MS. FARNSWORTH: Refugees poured out of Grozny as Russian troops shelled the city and continued preparations to recapture the Chechen capital. Chechen rebels who took Grozny earlier this month prepared for the assault which Russian commanders warned would come tomorrow. But at the same time, National Security Chief Alexander Lebed arrived for more talks with the rebels and announced a cease-fire was in the works. He said the Russian assault would be called off. Lebed has been at odds with the military on Chechnya, and it was unclear who was in charge. Last week, Lebed called for the resignation of Russia's interior minister, Gen. Anatoly Kulikov. Lebed accused him of mismanaging the war effort.

GEN. ALEXANDER LEBED, National Security Adviser: (speaking through interpreter) President Yeltsin, you have to choose between us. It's Lebed or Kulikov. There isn't room for both of us in the same armed forces.

MS. FARNSWORTH: But President Boris Yeltsin has been largely absent from public view in Moscow since his election. His ill health has led to speculation that he is not in charge. He apparently gave Lebed conflicting instructions to end the war peacefully, but also to expel the Chechens from Grozny. Yesterday, Lebed directly challenged the authenticity of the presidential order directing the removal of the rebels. Lebed said the contents of the documents give solid grounds to doubt that the president of Russia took a direct part in finalizing the text of the orders. In Grozny, Russian generals have told residents to evacuate before tomorrow when full scale air and land attacks could begin.

GEN. KONSTANTIN PULIKOVSKY, Army Commander in Chechnya: (speaking through interpreter) I shall take all the necessary measures, all the troops at my disposal, air attack and artillery bombardment. I'm not going to waste any more time on negotiations.

MS. FARNSWORTH: Half the pre-war population of 400,000 has already left the city, some 45,000 of them in recent days. Many too old or ill to travel have been left behind with no water and little food. Thirty thousand people have died in the 20-month war, most of them civilians. In Washington, President Clinton sent a letter to President Yeltsin urging him to stop the offensive.

MICHAEL McCURRY, White House Spokesman: We have continued to call on all the parties to minimize the conflict to return to the kinds of discussions that could bring the conflict to an end. We are encouraged by the presence of Mr. Lebed in Chechnya. The President has sent a communication to President Yeltsin reflecting the concern that we have expressed repeatedly to the Russian government, and we hope there will soon be an end to the conflict.