133 persons fell victim to armed conflict in Northern Caucasus in first three months of 2014

At least 133 people suffered from the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus in the first quarter of this year; of them, 84 people were killed and at least 49 more wounded. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources. Compared with the first quarter of 2013, a significant reduction in the number of victims was observed in Chechnya and Ingushetia.

Dagestan remains the "hottest spot" of Northern Caucasus – in the period from January 1 to March 31, at least 106 people suffered here; of them, 65 people were killed and 41 others were wounded. The death toll includes civilian, six law enforcers and 58 persons, involved, according to the police, in the activities of illegal armed formations (IAFs).

If we compare these data with the statistics of the "Caucasian Knot" for the first quarter of 2013, when at least 199 people fell victim to the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus – of whom 124 people were killed and at least 75 others wounded, we can state some reduction in the number of victims in the region as a whole.

However, the reduction of the number of victims was significant only in certain regions.

In particular, in Quarter 1 of 2013, at least 37 people suffered in the territory of the Chechen Republic; of them 20 people were killed and 17 others were wounded. In Ingushetia, in the same period, at least 26 people suffered; of whom 13 were killed and 13 others wounded.

During the Olympic Games in Sochi, on February 7-23, 2014, Russian authorities took unprecedented measures to ensure safety. Power agents thought that "Imarat Kavkaz" was the main threat to the Games, because in July 2013 its leader Doku Umarov called on his militants to use all possible methods to disrupt the Olympic Games in Sochi.

However, during the Games there were no terror acts in the Krasnodar Territory and other regions, although it was not excluded by the experts questioned by the "Caucasian Knot".

Also, during the first three months of 2014, in Northern Caucasus, mostly in Dagestan, special operations and armed clashes took place, during which, as reported by power agents, leaders of local militant groupings were killed.