Khotin added that the militants are concentrated in Chechnya's south, but acknowledged they retain a significant presence in the regional capital, Grozny.
Russia has been fighting separatists in Chechnya since the mid-1990s.
(ITAR-TASS, Interfax, AP)
Crisis In Chechnya
RFE/RL's complete coverage of Russia's war-torn Republic of Chechnya.