Fifty Russians die in clash with rebels-Interfax .  MOSCOW 1996-08-22  At least 50 Russian servicemen have been killed in a battle with separatist rebels which erupted in the Chechen capital Grozny on Thursday and continued after Russia and the rebels agreed a truce , Interfax news agency said . [START_ENT] Interfax [END_ENT] quoted Russian military command in Chechnya as saying that about 200 interior ministry forces , sent on reconaisance mission , clashed with rebels at Minutka Square .  The Interfax report could not be independently confirmed .  Moscow peacemaker Alexander Lebed and rebel chief-of-staff Aslan Maskhadov signed an agreement earlier on Thursday under which the two sides would cease all hostilities at noon ( 0800 GMT ) on Friday .  Interfax made clear that the interior ministry detachment had been sent on the mission before the truce deal had been signed at the local equivalent of 1500 GMT .  But fierce fighting still raged at 1600 GMT , Interfax said .  It quoted a source in the Russian command in Chechnya as saying that the servicemen were outnumbered by the rebels .
Interfax