The authorities of Kabardino-Balkaria decided to brick up the mines in Tirniauz

All the entrances to the mines of Tirniauz, Kabardino-Balkaria, will be bricked up to avoid their further use by gunmen and criminal persons, Prime-Minister Alexander Merkulov reported today at the session of the republican Government. 

"We have visited Tirniauz, the district where a special operation is going on. It has been decided to put out of service the mines there in order for terrorists of local residents in search of scrap metal to be unable to penetrate there", Merkulov said.

It should be reminded that counter-terror operation regime in the area of mountain mining was established in the town of Tirniauz on October, 20. It happened after a collision between militia personnel and a group of armed people. During the skirmish a militiaman perished, another one got wounded, then the supposed gunmen hid themselves in the mine.

On the same day Tengiz Budayev, resident of Tirniauz who is considered as member of armed underground by the investigation, was killed, too. Arms and ammunition were found on him.

Two more residents of Tirniauz, Arthur Sottayev and Ruslan Uyanayev, were killed in a skirmish on November, 4. According to members of the top brass, both men had been in federal search for terror crimes. Arms formerly used in a number of resonance murders were found on them.

"The expertise discovered that the tommy guns were also used in a murder of Aslan Kaufov, Chief of Criminal Investigation Department of Elbrus District Department of Interior Affairs, Anna Davidenko, expert of Investigation Department of Prosecutor's committee of inquiry in KBR, and also in the murder of Azamat Zhetteyev, inspector of Patrol and Point Duty Service on May, 25", a source in law enforcement structures of the republic informed.

The same arms were being used in the attacks upon militia personnel in Elbrus district since June, 2008 till September, 2010, an attack upon a bailiff and upon a car with civil passengers in the highway Baksan - Azau.

Officials of law enforcement bodies say that Sottayev's involvement in blasting "Eternal flame" memorial on September, 11, this year, has been established, too.

It had also been formerly reported that a mined "UAZ" car was found in the area of the mines and four local residents who were cutting out components of remaining equipment of the mine were evacuated from the zone of the special operation.