Whether the shift from Hildy Johnson to Abe Rosenthal was a good or bad thing , it must be noted that not even Rosenthal 's most passionate detractors have ever accused him of being a fictional character or of writing a sentence like Crushing all Chechen resistance , Russian troops made their dreamy , romantic , and elegant way to the outskirts of Grozny .
The Chechen retreated in the mountains after they were defeated by Russian troops .