On December 18-24, 2017, eight persons fell victim to armed conflict in Northern Caucasus

During the week of December 18-24, 2017, at least eight persons were killed in the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. No wounded were reported. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

All the eight deceased persons were suspected members of the armed underground: five in Karachay-Cherkessia, two in Dagestan, and one in the Stavropol Territory.

Special and counterterrorist operations

On December 18, the counterterrorist operation (CTO) legal regime was introduced in the mountainous and wooded part of the Zelenchuksky District of Karachay-Cherkessia. A group of five suspected militants was blocked in a dilapidated building in a summer village on the outskirts of the Zelenchukskaya Cossack village. Tenants of neighbouring houses were evacuated. During an armed clash, five suspected militants were killed, and no civilians and law enforcers were injured. According to the preliminary information, the number of the killed suspects includes a leader of a grouping of militant, who swore allegiance to the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS) banned in Russia. At the place of the shootout, law enforcers found submachine guns, rounds and an improvised explosive device (IED) which was later defused by combat engineers. The CTO legal regime was lifted on the same day.

On December 19, the CTO legal regime was introduced in the Gumbet District of Dagestan. During the search for militants, law enforcers encountered two armed men 2 kilometres from the village of Igali. When offered to surrender, the suspects opened fire and were killed. No law enforcers were injured. One of the killed suspects has been preliminarily identified as Ilyas Sharipov, the leader of the "Balakhanin" grouping of militants, who was in the federal wanted list. The CTO legal regime was lifted in the Gumbet District on the same day.

On December 20, an unidentified man activated an explosive device, presumably a grenade, in an apartment building in Stavropol. The man refused to go out and surrender and was killed by law enforcers. According to the preliminary information, the killed suspect, a 25-year-old resident of Karachay-Cherkessia, was a member of the recently liquidated "Zelenchukskaya" grouping of militants.

On December 21, 400 armed people in masks from a unit controlled by Ramzan Kadyrov arrived in Gudermes, a source of the "Rosbalt" reported. The law enforcers broke into the houses of the Yamadaev family members and detained people without explaining the reasons. Khamzat, one of the elders of the Yamadaev clan, tried to talk to law enforcers, but was beaten, the "Rosbalt" reports. The law enforcers announced they "were seizing the house of Isa Yamadaev." The Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reported that in Gudermes, the police were searching for people from the wanted list. Residents of Gudermes did not confirm the information about the assault of the Yamadaev family's houses. A MIA's official explained the actions of the law enforcers by the fact that they got the information stating wanted Isa Yamadaev and his younger brother Badrudi might stay in Gudermes. Therefore, it was decided to conduct a search in the residential district where the Yamadaev family members lived. There were no "400 law enforcers in masks," as the media reported.