On December 12-18, 2016, 15 persons fell victim to armed conflict in Northern Caucasus

During the week of December 12-18, 2016, 15 persons fell victim to the armed conflict in Northern Caucasus. Of them, 11 were killed, and four others were 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 seven suspected members of the armed underground and four law enforcers, all of them in Chechnya.

Special and counterterrorist operations

In the evening of December 17, in the Oktyabrsky District of Grozny, a group of armed people attacked a policeman and seized his Lada Priora car and his service weapon. The police launched the interception plan. Several minutes later, it became known that the group of attackers broke into a house of another policeman in the other place, but failed to meet him at home and fled. After a short period of time, the police managed to reveal the location of the car with the militants. At about 11:00 p.m. Moscow time, in the area of Lorsanov Street in the centre of Grozny, an inspector of the road-and-patrol service (known as DPS) tried to stop the car with the attackers, but was hit by the car. The criminals opened fire from the car. As a result of the armed clash, four attackers were killed and two others were injured and detained, including a young woman. Law enforcers identified several criminals killed in the course of the armed clash as Islam Altemirov, Said-Ibragim Ismailov and Magomed Ilyasov. The identification of the fourth killed suspect is underway.

On December 18, a body of a staff member of the Staropromyslovsky OVD (Interior Division) was found in the village of Katayama of the Zavodskoi District of Grozny. According to the law enforcement authorities, a policeman was killed by one of the groupings of militants, who on the other day attacked policemen. In Grozny, law enforcers are searching for three groupings of militants, one of which includes six people and two others at least five people. At about 3:00 p.m. on the same day, fire was again opened from automatic weapons in Putin Avenue in Grozny, and an explosion occurred later. As a result of the armed clash in Grozny, three policemen and three militants were killed. Two other suspects were detained, one of whom was wounded. One of the killed militants was identified as 18-year-old Ibragim Mazhaev. In total, during two days, seven militants were killed, and four other suspects were detained, three of whom were wounded. Four policemen were killed, and one was injured. The special operation is completed. According to residents of Grozny, law enforcers "detain all relatives and friends of the killed militants, as well as relatives of detainees and wanted attackers on policemen." The father, the mother and two brothers of Ibragim Mazhaev, killed during the counterterrorist operation (CTO), have been kept for the second day at a police station.

Detentions

At about 6:30 a.m. of December 13, believers of a mosque in the village of Ali-Yurtdetained a man suspected of plotting an assassination of Ingush Imam Isa Tsechoev. Later, the suspect was identified as Rustam Aptaev, a 36-year-old resident of Grozny. He drove his car to the mosque. The stranger's behaviour raised suspicion of the believers. The suspect went into the yard of the mosque and asked a believer for a pitcher of water for ablution. The believer gave him the pitcher of water. The man walked a little, left the pitcher and went back. Prior to calling law enforcers, the Imam's family members questioned the suspect. He confessed that he had arrived together with a group of militants to assassinate the Imam. According to Islam Tsechoev, the man came not along, and he was followed by the second car. The suspect has confessed he was instructed to find out the whereabouts of the Imam and to learn if there were children inside the mosque. The believers called the police and handed him over to law enforcers. The second car fled. The Ingush law enforcement authorities deny the fact of the incident at the mosque of Ali-Yurt. On December 18, the defenders of Rustam Aptaev and his relatives claimed that law enforcers tortured him in order to force him to incriminate himself. Rustam Aptaev is being kept at the IVS (detention facility) of the Nazran ROVD (District Interior Division) on the charge of failure to obey to a lawful request of a public officer. On December 13, Rustam Aptaev stopped answering phone calls, and his relatives could not find him for two days. According to an advocate, Rustam Aptaev claims that he was twice taken out of the IVS and tortured with electric current, and that he was forced to sign the confession. The defender believes that at present, the fabrication of evidence against Rustam Aptaev is underway.