On May 28, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), in collaboration with the Interior Ministry, Rosgvardia, and the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, detained four militants from the Basayev and Khattab gang for their involvement in attacks against Russian servicemen in 1999 and 2000.
The FSB stated that an "irrefutable evidentiary basis" confirmed the participation of Arsen Koldasov, Rajab Khasayev, Batyr Arsanov, and Rasul Takhtamirov in these crimes, noting that they had previously evaded prosecution. The operation, conducted jointly with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Rosgvardia, led to Koldasov’s detention in Stavropol Krai, Arsanov in the Republic of Ingushetia, Khasayev in the Republic of Dagestan, and Takhtamirov in the Astrakhan region.
According to the Investigative Committee, the detainees participated in attacks in the Botlikhsky district of Dagestan in August 1999, assaults on soldiers near the village of Chervlennaya in the Shelkovsky district of Chechnya in October 1999, and an operation against Pskov paratroopers near Ulus-Kert in the Shatoi district of Chechnya in February 2000. These attacks resulted in the deaths of over 130 servicemen and injuries to more than 80 others. The detainees were placed in custody and charged with banditry, armed rebellion, and attempted murder of law enforcement officers.
The "Basayev and Khattab gang" refers to a militant alliance led by two notorious figures in the Chechen separatist movement: Shamil Basayev and Ibn al-Khattab. This group gained infamy in the late 1990s and early 2000s for its involvement in numerous high-profile attacks against Russian targets, including the Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis in 1995 and the Beslan school siege in 2004.