On March 5, at 00:25 Moscow time, a counter-terrorism operation (CTO) regime was declared in the village of Semender, Makhachkala, where security forces conducted search operations and neutralized four militants who were planning an attack on a law enforcement facility.

During the operation in Makhachkala’s Kirovsky district, security personnel detected a group of four individuals traveling in a car with the intent to attack a law enforcement facility. When officers attempted to detain them, the suspects opened fire on traffic police with automatic weapons. The assailants were subsequently blocked on the outskirts of Semender, where security forces took measures to neutralize them. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) reported that residents in the CTO zone were evacuated for safety reasons.

According to the NAC, all four militants were eliminated during the operation, which was conducted by the committee’s operational headquarters in Dagestan. The suspects were allegedly planning a terrorist attack on the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kaspiysk. Authorities discovered grenade launchers, improvised explosive devices, grenades, machine guns, a pistol, and ammunition both at the scene of the clash and in a nearby cache. The NAC further stated that the group’s activities were coordinated by members of the Islamic State, an international terrorist organization banned in Russia. No casualties were reported among civilians or security personnel.

A criminal case has been opened in Dagestan on charges of "Attempt on the Life of Law Enforcement Officers" and "Illegal Arms Trafficking." The Investigative Committee reported that the four individuals were eliminated while offering armed resistance. Investigators continue to work on establishing all the circumstances of the incident.