On December 1-7, 66 people fell victim to armed conflict in Northern Caucasus

During the week from December 1 to December 7, 2014, at least 66 people suffered from the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus; of them, 28 people were killed and 38 others wounded. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from other open sources.

The death toll includes one civilian in Chechnya, 14 law enforcers in Chechnya and 13 alleged members of the armed underground – 11 inChechnya and two in Dagestan.

Attacks on law enforcers

On December 2 in the village of Nesterovskaya, Sunzha District of Ingushetia, policemen were conducting their operative activities. When they tried to detain a suspect, he threw a grenade at them; and the explosion slightly wounded two policemen, who were hospitalized.

At night on December 6, in the vicinity of the village of Shushanovka, Kizilyurt District of Dagestan, policemen tried to stop a speeding Lada Priora car, but the driver ignored their demand. During the pursuit, the passengers of the car opened fire, but policemen managed to neutralize them by return fire. Nobody was hurt among law enforcers. Policemen have identified one of the casualties as a local resident Khabib Makhmudov, born in 1974. According to preliminary information, he closely cooperated with the "Kizilyurt" grouping of militants.

Special and counterterrorist operations

On December 1, at 6:00 p.m. the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime was lifted from the Buynaksk District, where it was introduced on September 17 for conducting a large-scale operation aimed to find and neutralize militants. On September 18, power agents blocked the settlement of Vremenny, Untsukul District, and the motor tunnel (the so-called "Gimry Tunnel"), which connects the village of Gimry with the cities of Buynaksk and Makhachkala.

At night on December 4, a group of militants arrived in Grozny presumably from the village Shalazhi, Urus-Martan District of Chechnya. The militants called several taxis, and then attacked the drivers, took possession of their cars, and in three cars arrived in Grozny. According to power agents, the militants were members of the grouping of the field commander Aslan Byutukaev, known among members of illegal armed formations (IAFs) as "Amir Khamzat" and occupying in the hierarchy of militants the post of "Amir of Chechnya".

At about 1:00 a.m. Moscow time, the militants' cars were stopped by GIBDD (traffic police) inspectors for check, after which the IAF members shelled the post down. From 2:30 a.m. the central part of the Chechen capital was put under the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime. Most of the attackers took refuge in the House of Press, and some of them – in School No. 20; both buildings were blocked.

Quite a lot of forces and heavy equipment were brought to the centre of Grozny. By 9:00 a.m. Moscow time on December 4 all the IAF members locked in the House of Press, were killed. The armed clash near School No. 20 was over by 2:00 p.m. Moscow time.

As reported on December 5 by the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov, during the CTO 11 members of the armed underground were killed. Besides, 14 law enforcers were lost – 10 of them perished in armed clashes; and four other policemen died in hospital from the wounds.

In total, 36 power agents were hospitalized with wounds of varying severity. Also a civilian - Vladislav Vorobyov, the Chairman of the Association of Young Entrepreneurs of Russia in Chechnya, whose body was found after clashes in the House of Press, was lost in the fight. On December 5 at midday the CTO regime was lifted.