Militant invasion of Dagestan (1999). Three attacks in Chechnya in one hour

On Friday, August 20, attacks on the police took place in the capital of the Chechen Republic - Grozny and in the city of Shali. Explosive devices were used on two occasions, but one did not work properly, and large casualties were avoided. According to preliminary data, the attackers were teenagers. Four are killed, one is believed to have survived. The youngest was 11 years old.

In Chechnya, on the morning of August 20, several armed men attacked the police at three, and possibly four, different points at almost the same time. Three attacks are reported by Interfax with reference to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Investigative Committee, the fourth was reported by RIA Novosti and the Mash telegram channel, but it has not been officially confirmed.

Attack in Shali

The first attack, between about 10:00 and 10:30 am Moscow time, took place in the town of Shali, 30 kilometers from the Chechen capital. Interfax, citing the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Chechnya, reported that two men armed with knives tried to enter the police department, but were shot dead.

Today, at about 10 o'clock, two unknown persons armed with knives tried to enter the territory of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Shali district of the Chechen Republic and injured two police officers who were on duty. The attackers were destroyed by return fire.

According to preliminary data, one policeman was killed, three others and one woman were injured. Information changed later. Another source in the Ministry of Internal Affairs told Interfax that there were no deaths among the police.

Attack in the village of Mesker-Yurt

At about 10:30 am, in the village of Mesker-Yurt, Shali district (located on the road from Shali to Grozny), a man with a backpack containing an improvised explosive device blew himself up at a police checkpoint on the road. In addition to the bomber himself, no one was injured, he was injured, but survived.

The identity of the attacker has not been released. There is no information about his condition, as well as about the goals of the attack.

Attack on the corner of Pervomaiskaya and Isaev

Officially, this information has not been confirmed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Investigative Committee, but the telegram channel Mash reported about it.

In Grozny, another attack with shooting at police officers. One policeman is killed. The shootout took place at the intersection of Pervomaiskaya and Isaev streets.

In the morning in Grozny, at the intersection of Pervomaiskaya - Isaev streets, there was a shooting, an attack on police officers, as a result of which one policeman died.

Later, the Chechen Interior Ministry denied the information about the death. What happened at the corner of Pervomaiskaya and Isaev is not exactly known.

Attack on a traffic police post in Grozny

The most serious incident happened in Grozny at the traffic police post at the entrance to the city. A used Mercedes 190 car hit three traffic police officers who tried to stop it, and an explosive device went off in the trunk of the car at that time.

The moment when the car tried to break into the city was caught on video from surveillance cameras. Here is the passage past the traffic police post and the explosion. Behind the scenes, Interior Ministry officials who are watching the video report that, according to the time code, the attack took place around 10:30 am.

And here is the moment when the car, knocking down the police, is trying to escape. The chase begins for her.

Machine gun fire was opened on the car with the attackers. The car was stopped, the driver and passenger were killed. Propane tanks were found in the cabin, which did not detonate from the explosion in the trunk. Sources in the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that if the cylinders had exploded, there could have been more victims and destruction.

The second photo shows a gas cylinder. One of the law enforcement officers unwinds the wire stretched to him.

Who were the attackers

Five attackers are officially reported (this number does not include alleged militants who attacked a police outfit at the corner of Isaeva and Pervomaiskaya streets). Four of them were killed, the bomber from Mesker-Yurt survived.

RIA Novosti, citing representatives of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Chechen Republic, reports that they were all teenagers. One of the attackers was 11 years old.

All the attackers are residents of the Shali region: one was born in 2000, two were born in 2001, and also born in 2002 and 2006.

It is also reported that the two killed are brothers born in 2002 and 2006.

The head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, who was on pilgrimage at the time of the attacks, said that the goal of the attackers was to overshadow the Eid al-Adha holiday, Interfax reports. Officially this year, one of the main Muslim holidays will last from 21 to 25 August.

Today, a group of young people attempted to commit resonant crimes. There is no doubt that the task was to overshadow the holiday, to cause a great public outcry, to prevent the residents of Chechnya from holding events related to Eid al-Adha. The most important goal is to create the appearance of the presence of any forces capable of organizing armed actions and terrorist attacks.

Kadyrov called the attackers "teenagers with a fragile psyche."

There is no doubt that the brains of young people were confused by various Iblis people there on social networks. But the picture of the day shows that they have no support, no social base in the republic.

"Iblis" Kadyrov calls adherents of the "Islamic State" banned in Russia.

Who can be the organizer of the attacks

According to the website of the public anti-terrorist organization SITE with reference to the news agency of Islamic radicals Amaq, the Islamic State (an organization banned in the Russian Federation - approx. Medialeaks) took responsibility for attacks on policemen in Chechnya. At the same time, the report mentions three attacks (Shali, Mesker-Yurt, a traffic police post in Grozny).

The Daily Storm website, citing law enforcement agencies in Chechnya, names 18-year-old Magomed Musaev as the organizer of the attacks. Journalists reported that in 2016 Musaev was detained along with other members of a cell led by Imran Datsaev linked to the Islamic State. A Daily Storm source claims that "Musaev was pitied because of his youth and was not held accountable." In 2016, he was 16 years old.

In April last year, 17-year-old Anton Konev. Two people were killed, one was seriously wounded, the attacker himself, who had previously shot the instructor at the shooting gallery in order to take possession of the weapon, died in a shootout. It turned out that he adhered to radical right-wing views.

Attacks, attacks on police and civilians are causing controversy on social networks. Every time there are disputes: . Especially sharp disputes on this topic were after the terrorist attack in the St. Petersburg metro, when many reproached each other for the wrong choice of words and the desire to use the tragedy for political purposes.

In Chechnya, on the night of Friday, March 24, a group of armed men attacked a part of the National Guard in the Naursky district of Chechnya. As a result of the shootout, according to the latest data, six servicemen and six attackers were killed. Three fighters of the Russian Guard were wounded. The Chechen authorities say they have already identified the fighters, half of whom are natives of the republic. This incident indicates that the underground in Chechnya is becoming more active, says Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya, head of the Russian representative office of the international organization International Crisis Group.

DW:What can be said about the nature of this attack? In what context should it be considered??

Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya: So far there is very little information. As far as I understand, the picture is as follows: the militants attacked the military unit of the National Guard, there are dead from both sides. This is the fourth major attack since December 2016. I understand that the attacks are scattered. It is impossible yet to talk about the restoration of the underground in Chechnya.

But we can talk about the emergence of separate groups that carry out attacks on the security forces. These are most likely small groups that are most likely coordinated outside of Russia. This is not a parallel structure of groups interacting with each other, but small cells that are directly connected to the organizing force outside of Chechnya, and perhaps they do not even know anything about each other. ISIS uses a different system of organization and mobilization here.

- you assume, what's behind the lastattacks in Chechnya cost ISIS?

As you know, the Chechen underground swore allegiance to Al-Baghdadi (the leader of the terrorist group "Islamic State", ISIS. - Red.) back in 2015, so most likely these are radicals who somehow associate themselves with the so-called "Islamic State".

- After the appearance of the first data, it seems that the militants pursued the goal of seizing weapons, that these were non-professionals unsecured with money. How likely is this?

- Most likely, it is. We can note that the trend in all the last four attacks is young people, sometimes very young. This is a new generation, well, if not post-war, then those who were born during the war years and were very small when the war was on. These are people who do not have previous combat experience, special training, most often they do not have weapons. They simply gather among themselves, are coordinated by someone who is from the outside, and in this way they themselves obtain weapons for themselves in order to carry out an attack.

- Is it difficult to get weapons in Chechnya now?

I think it's difficult. These things are now very tightly controlled in the Chechen Republic. In general, everything related to the activities of the underground there is very difficult in terms of logistics, communication, and ideological recruitment. There is strict control, constant detentions even of those who simply discuss Syria on social networks or mobile applications.

- What was inIn general, the dynamics of the number of terrorist attacks and military clashes in Chechnya and in the neighboring Russian Caucasian republicsin the last year or two?

After the Olympics, there was a very sharp reduction in the number of victims of the armed conflict in Chechnya. In practice, the activity of the underground was reduced to "no" in all the republics, even in Dagestan. Every year since 2014, there has been a reduction in the number of victims of terrorist attacks, ending up by almost fifty percent in two years. In 2016, the number of victims increased, but slightly, by 11 percent, according to the "Caucasian Knot". And still, compared to what we saw in the Caucasus six years ago, this is a very limited activity.

And although I keep talking about the fact that the underground has not yet been restored, some activation is undoubtedly taking place - in Chechnya faster than in other republics. This and more frequent attacks, there were serious skirmishes in Grozny on December 17-18, 2016, when the city was practically paralyzed, people were afraid to go out into the street, then eight people were killed, three were injured. And the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

Context

Then there were major clashes from January 10 to 12, the security forces carried out an operation in the villages of the Kurchaloy district, four militants and two security officials were killed. The village of Tsotsi-Yurt was completely blocked by people in masks, there were mass detentions, the residents of Chechnya were in a nervous state, because it was reminiscent of the cleansing operations of the federal forces in the early 2000s.

In January, seven more people were detained who, according to official reports, intended to join the Islamic State. At the end of January, there was an attack on the police in Shali after they stopped suspicious people. We clearly see a trend towards an increase in the activity of the underground in Chechnya.

In Dagestan, growth was probably only in January, when three large CTOs (counter-terrorist operations. - Ed.), 13 militants were killed, four wounded, and the security forces also suffered losses. In Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria we are dealing, rather, with dormant cells.

- For the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, the current military clashpresents an image problem? Or it will be enough for him to say something in the spirit: there are still a couple " shaitanov", but in general, Chechnya is the safest region in Russia?

Of course, it is not good for him that the attacks began to occur frequently, almost regularly. But nevertheless, this will not bring strong reputational losses to the head of Chechnya. After all, one of its main tasks before the federal center is to fight terrorism and ensure security in Chechnya. And if there will be no underground at all, then why such bloated power structures, why such a tough government in Chechnya? It is clear that the low-intensity conflict, in principle, does not interfere, and perhaps even to some extent is necessary to justify the regime that we have today in the Chechen Republic.

See also:

• According to the well-known scenario

  On the anniversary of the Brussels attack, an apparently lone terrorist carried out a bloody attack in broad daylight in central London. Events largely developed according to the scenario already tested by the criminals in Nice and Berlin.



A blow to the heart of British democracy

SUV killer

At approximately 2.40 pm local time, the offender drove a dark SUV at high speed into people on Westminster Bridge across the Thames, where there are always a lot of pedestrians and tourists. Without slowing down or stopping, the car crashed into the fence of the nearby Palace of Westminster, where the British Parliament sits.



A blow to the heart of British democracy

Failed to break through

The offender jumped out of the car and, trying to break into the parliament building, stabbed a policeman. SWAT officers shot and killed the assailant.



A blow to the heart of British democracy

Victims of the attack

According to preliminary information, the policeman, who was stabbed, died. In addition, three more people died from among the passers-by who found themselves at that hour on Westminster Bridge. Many of the victims taken to hospitals have serious injuries, so the number of victims could rise.



A blow to the heart of British democracy

The number of victims is specified

Arriving on a call, London ambulance service officers treated ten injured people right on the spot. Their total number, according to preliminary data, reached 40 people.



A blow to the heart of British democracy

MPs were not allowed to leave the building

The police actually immediately cordoned off the parliament building. The House of Commons was adjourned. However, for several hours neither deputies nor other workers could leave the Palace of Westminster. They were later evacuated by security personnel to Westminster Abbey.



A blow to the heart of British democracy

Act of terrorism

Scotland Yard spokesman Ben Julian Harrington said the same day that the Greater London Police Department assessed the incident as an "act of terrorism". He did not publish the name of the attacker, as well as his motives. However, law enforcement officials do not rule out that he acted under the influence of propaganda spread by the Islamic State militants.

• A blow to the heart of British democracy

  The COBRA Committee met

  British Prime Minister Theresa May, who was in the Houses of Parliament, shortly before the attack, convened a meeting of the emergency government committee COBRA (Cabinet Office Briefing Room A), held only in cases of emergency. Late in the evening, the Prime Minister addressed the people of Great Britain.



A blow to the heart of British democracy

May: "Parliament will meet as usual"

London will continue to live its normal life, the prime minister announced, adding that, despite the attack, the terrorist threat level will not be changed. “Parliament will meet as usual and Londoners will go about their business as always. They will walk these streets, never giving up before terrorism and not allowing the voice of hatred and evil to separate us,” said Theresa May.

Six militants attacked the location of the National Guard in the area of ​​​​the village of Naurskaya in Chechnya. The terrorists opened fire on the security forces, who were forced to return fire. As a result, the attack was repulsed, the terrorists were eliminated.

“In the Chechen Republic at about 02:30 a group of armed bandits tried to enter the territory of one of the military camps of the National Guard. During the attack, the militants took advantage of heavy fog. When trying to penetrate the territory of the military camp, the bandit group was discovered by a military detachment, which entered into battle with it. Six attackers were killed," the Russian Guard said in a statement.

It is noted that the bandits were well trained and had ammunition with them. In addition, on the bodies of some militants during the inspection, the security forces found dummies of suicide belts.

The National Guard suffered losses

However, casualties among the personnel could not be avoided. Six security officials were killed during the clash, and several more were injured.

“Unfortunately, it was not possible to avoid losses on the part of the fighters of the National Guard, among the servicemen there are dead and wounded,” the National Anti-Terrorism Committee said.

According to some reports, among the victims were a rangefinder of the artillery regiment, the commander of an engineering and sapper battery, and the deputy commander of the battery.

At the moment, the operation to eliminate the bandits is completed. Operational-search and investigative actions are being carried out to identify the attackers. Explosives from the FSB of Russia are also working on the spot.

According to a RIA Novosti source, the Fortress plan has been introduced in the military unit. To clarify the circumstances of the attack, an operational group of the central apparatus of the Russian Guard troops went to Chechnya.

The State Duma commented on the attack on the military unit of the Russian Guard.

“Terrorist activity is the way of death. And our country, with the help of highly qualified law enforcement actions, will continue to respond to such actions harshly and uncompromisingly, ”TASS quotes Vasily Piskarev, head of the Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption.

In turn, State Duma Vice Speaker Vladimir Vasilyev promised, on behalf of the deputies, to provide comprehensive legislative support for the activities of the National Guard.

Effective countermeasures

According to the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, last year the security forces prevented more than 40 terrorist attacks, more than 140 militants were killed during operations, and about 900 more were detained.

In the Russian Guard, they note that in the North Caucasus alone in 2016, 82 bandits were neutralized. In addition, about 50 improvised explosive devices were defused.

It is emphasized that the units of the joint group, in cooperation with the operational headquarters, carried out more than 1 thousand special events.

“Together with law enforcement agencies, more than 3,000 crimes have been solved and 148 members of the gang underground taking part in hostilities in the Middle East region have been identified. More than 2.5 thousand citizens and 164 units were identified and detained. wanted vehicles," the agency said in a statement.

MOSCOW, March 24 - RIA Novosti. Terrorists attacked a military unit of the National Guard in Chechnya. As a result of the attack, six servicemen were killed, the militants were destroyed.

Attack in the fog

The outing of the bandits took place late at night - at 2:30. The National Guard said that the criminals tried to penetrate the location of the 140th artillery regiment of military unit 3761, which is located in the Naursky district of Chechnya.

The terrorists deliberately chose the time when there was thick fog around the military facility.

"When trying to penetrate the territory of the military camp, the bandit group was discovered by a military detachment, which entered into battle with it. Six attackers were destroyed," the Russian Guard said in a statement.

The department noted that the fighters managed to prevent the militants from entering the facility.

"The bandits were found to have firearms and ammunition, and on the bodies of two of them - dummies of suicide belts," the National Anti-Terrorism Committee said.

The Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case on the fact of the incident under the articles "Encroachment on the life of military personnel", "Participation in an armed formation not provided for by federal law", "Illegal circulation of weapons", "Theft of firearms".

According to the department, the militants were armed with firearms and knives.

An operational-investigative group and explosives experts from the FSB are currently working at the scene.

Losses of the security forces

As a result of the terrorist attack, six servicemen were killed. Their names and titles are not specified.

Three more soldiers were injured.

“This is a rangefinder of an artillery regiment, commander of an engineer battery, deputy commander of a battery,” a source in law enforcement agencies told RIA Novosti.

All victims were first taken to the central district hospital, after which they were transferred to a hospital in Grozny.

According to the interlocutor of the agency, the condition of one of the wounded is assessed as serious - a bullet hit him in the head.

"Two victims received gunshot wounds to the legs, their condition is moderate," the source added.

"Honestly fulfilled military duty"

The incident was commented by the director of the Russian Guard, Viktor Zolotov, who today presented awards to distinguished employees.

“Unfortunately, our solemn event was overshadowed by the tragic events that took place last night in the village of Naurskaya in the Chechen Republic. As a result of a vile attack by suicide bombers, six of our comrades died. They honestly fulfilled their military duty, preventing civilian casualties,” Zolotov said. .

The participants honored the memory of the fallen soldiers with a minute of silence.

The militants go for broke

Vasily Piskarev, chairman of the State Duma committee on security and countering terrorism, said that Russia would continue to respond harshly to manifestations of terrorism.

“They do this out of hopelessness. When they go for broke, it means that people have reached the edge, the bottom, when it’s impossible to go any further. Terrorism is the bottom, a dead end from which there is no way out,” the parliamentarian said, commenting on the attack in Chechnya.

"And our country, with the help of highly qualified actions of law enforcement agencies, will continue to respond to such actions harshly and uncompromisingly," Piskarev added.

Terrorists went for weapons

Former State Duma deputy Anvar Makhmutov believes that the purpose of the bandits was to seize weapons.

"When the enemy is almost defeated, he becomes especially bold. Successes in the Caucasus in the fight against terrorism should not relax the units of the National Guard - they were tried to test their strength by forces that, unfortunately, have not stopped their activities there. The enemy is cunning, experienced," Makhmutov said on the air of Sputnik radio.

The expert also called for strengthening the military units of the National Guard.

"The enemy has shown that not only civilians, but also objects of law enforcement agencies can be the target of an attack. I think that serious measures will be taken to prevent such factors - the military units of the National Guard will be reinforced with more modern means of warning," he said.