Trial on Nalchik events considers episode of attack on PPS regiment

In the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), at the trial dealing with the attack on Nalchik, today the court continued questioning victims and witnesses of the episode "PPS (Patrol and Post Service) regiment".

At the moment of attack on Nalchik, the victim Victor Kutov was taking his military service in the city of Mineralnye Vody. A few days before the attack, he was sent – within his detachment – to Nalchik on a service trip. The detachment was placed into the base of the PPS regiment of the MIA of the KBR.

At night on October 13, 2008, Kutov's colleagues were alerted and sent to the area of the "Landysh" summer cottage settlement. Victor Kutov, who was the driver of an armoured Ural truck and six other soldiers from his detachment stayed in the regiment. The victim was in the building armed with a submachine gun. In the morning, at about 9 a.m., the regiment was attacked. According to the victim, "the fire was waged from all sides." He went outside and was wounded by grenade fragments and received brain concussion. For about two months he received his treatment at hospitals of Nalchik and Pyatigorsk.

"The attackers – about 15 in number – were in masks; they were armed with submachine guns and a grenade launcher," said Kutov.

The witness Kazbek Atabiev, who worked for the taxi company LLC "Leader", said that in the morning on October 13, 2008, he received a call from his friend Murat (defendant Khabas Emkuzhev) and asked him to arrive in Malbakhov Street in the "Strelka" District. Murat loaded several heavy bags into the taxi and asked Kazbek to wait three guys, who would come out of the building.

The passengers asked to take them to Profsoyuznaya Street, where Murat and two guys got out and went into some house. According to the witness, one of the guys stayed in the car on the back seat. Then, he drove them to the location area of the frontier detachment, where, according to one witness's evidence, asked him to stop the car under threat of arms, while according to his other evidence, they asked him to remain in the car, just in case they would need it.

In the course of preliminary investigation Atabiev had been indicted as one of attackers, but later he was amnestied. He said that he would not be able to identify the persons whom he had picked up.