On 17 February, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) stated that nineteen militants plotting terrorist attacks in the North Caucasus have been detained in four Russian regions, reported Vestnik Kavkaza. 

“The Federal Security Service has exposed an inter-regional extremist community linked to the Al-Takfir wal-Hijra international terrorist organisation (outlawed in Russia), whose idea of takfir, or declaration of infidelity, theologically justifies action towards kafirs, or infidels, including Muslims, as well as the need to establish a Caliphate. In February, 19 radicals were detained in Crimea, the Karachay-Circassian, Krasnodar and Rostov regions, who, apart from promoting their ideas and recruiting new supporters, plotted to carry out subversive activities and terrorist attacks in the North Caucasus on behalf of Al-Takfir wal-Hijra. Ten masterminds and active members of the organisation have been taken into custody" the statement read.

During the searches of the militants’ homes, extremist literature and places for the groups’ secret meetings were identified. An arms cache was found in a forest in the Karachay-Circassian region, which contained an RPK machine gun, an AKM assault rifle, ammunition and improvised explosive devices equalling about three kilograms of TNT, including the so-called suicide belt.  

While speaking on the developments in North Caucasus, it was reported that Russian Ombudsperson Tatiana Moskalkova failed to react to the investigation conducted by the Russian newspaper “Novaya Gazeta” into the replacement of Chechen residents from the so-called "execution list" with their brothers so as not to confront the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

“Moskalkova can do nothing, because she knows that she will receive no support from above. Moskalkova understands very well what is happening in Chechnya; and she does what she can. She can't confront Ramzan Kadyrov, otherwise she'll lose all her influence in Chechnya [...] Chechnya is a closed territory, including for her. In rare cases, she can do something. If she stands between Chechnya and the Kremlin, she'll lose her post,” stated the chair of the “Civil Assistance” Committee Svetlana Gannushkina. 

On 15 February, “Novaya Gazeta” released an article under the name “Execution after death” where it presented copies of photographic tables prepared by the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), which contained the information about the detention of 108 people, some of whom fell victim to extrajudicial executions in the period 2016-2017. 

The author of the article, Elena Milashina, emphasised that the article was just the first part of the journalistic investigation. The article foresaw a second part, in which the circumstances of the mass detentions of Chechen residents during the so-called special measure operations, carried out by an order of Ramzan Kadyrov in January 2017. The newspaper also announced that it would post an interview with a fighter from the Kadyrov regiment, who participated in those special measure operations and witnessed the execution of the detainees.