Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov was killed by Russian troops in the breakaway republic, his long-time ally and spokesperson Akhmed Zakayev confirmed late on Tuesday.
"It's definitely Maskhadov," Zakayev said by telephone from Britain where he has received political asylum.
Russian officials announced earlier on Tuesday that Maskhadov had been killed.
"It was an accident"
"It was an accident. He was in a house, nearly alone. They wanted to take him prisoner. He had a worthy death, in battle. He died defending the interests of the Chechen people," he said.
Zakayev said he did not know who would be appointed Maskhadov's replacement.
"To find a worthy replacement for Maskhadov is practically impossible today, whoever it is will have one responsibility, to remain true to our government," said Zakayev.
Maskhadov (53) was overwhelmingly elected president of a de facto independent Chechnya in January 1997.
The Kremlin had branded the separatist leader a "terrorist", but he had always denied involvement in Russia's most notorious terror acts, such as the Dubrovka theatre hostage taking in 2002 and the Beslan school hostage tragedy, acts that together left nearly 500 people dead.
Separatists vow movement won't be weakened
Rebels vowed that the death of the man who had become a symbol of Chechen resistance to Russian rule would not weaken the separatists.
"The resistance will continue, no doubt about it," Zakayev said.
"We've lived through this once before, when (first Chechen president Jokhar) Dudayev was killed," in April 1996, he said.
Zakayev commented that former Russian president Boris "Yeltsin and his team thought that with the killing of Jokhar Dudayev, the resistance will stop, but this didn't happen. It can't happen."
"This is the tragic mistake of the Russian leadership. Instead of Dudayev came Maskhadov. Instead of Maskhadov there'll be someone else," he said.
Musleem, a man who supplies the rebels with logistics in western Chechnya and provides safe houses for the separatists coming down to rest from the mountains, agreed.
"This doesn't change anything, not even a little bit. The guys, they're down of course, they're hurting. But this won't change their spirit. If anything it will make it stronger," he said.
The news of the death shocked many battle-weary Chechens.
One woman who had calmly witnessed bombings and random shootings in the street and who now lives as refugee in Europe burst into tears on hearing the news.
"For me it's a big blow. He was not only my president, he was a colleague and a friend," Zakayev said.
Musleem said: "It hurts. He was a good man. He's done a lot. He had a worthy end. He didn't give up. But it hurts."
AFP