Confident that they have the rebels on the run, Russia prepared to withdraw thousands of their troops from Chechnya. The Russians will have to move fast, for the Spring thaw will produce several months of mud that will limit movement of their vehicles. Meanwhile, groups of rebels, often several hundred strong, are moving in open terrain and being pursued by Russian infantry and gunships, as well as being hit by artillery and bombers. The Chechen retreat from Grozny is proving to be a bloody process, with the rebels exposed in the snow covered landscape and the Russians energetically pursuing them.