Journalists consider version about terrorist attack in Makhachkala to be credible
The actions of the participants in the attack on police inspectors in Makhachkala on May 5 indicate criminal intent and are quite typical of militants. Meanwhile, the measured release of information about them in the media can be explained by the interests of the investigation.
At first, the police announced that before the attack on the police inspectors in Makhachkala, the young people did not come to the attention of the law enforcement bodies. However, eight days later, there was an assertion that the suspects had been planning terrorist attacks since at least 2024. The contradictions in the information from the law enforcement bodies can be explained by the interests of the investigation or operational interests, suggests journalist Idris Yusupov*. At the same time, it remains unclear why a criminal case under the terrorist article was not instituted immediately after the attack.
“In order for an attack, including on police inspectors, to be recognized as a terrorist attack, a certain legal qualification of the actions of the attackers is needed. It is necessary to prove that there was a terrorist community and that they were planning to commit a terrorist attack. But so far many questions remain,” noted Idris Yusupov*.
The journalist believes that “the confession of the detainee, in addition to other evidence, can probably be used as the main one. Now we have to rely only on the official information from the investigators, because neither the relatives and friends of the detainee, nor the advocates have made any statements about non-involvement in the attack,” Idris Yusupov* notes.
There is no specific information about the attackers themselves, so the operative investigators will probably “check through” their circle of acquaintances, the journalist suggests.
At the same time, Idris Yusupov* does not see any reason to compare the statement claiming the prevention of preparation of the terrorist attack in Khasavyurt with the situation around what happened in Makhachkala. “There is little information about the event in Khasavyurt. It is possible that the law enforcers have tracked the woman’s correspondence, some of her actions, and decided that she was preparing to commit a terrorist attack,” the journalist emphasized.
Almost nothing is known about the identities of the attackers, confirms a Dagestani journalist who preferred to remain anonymous. “There is absolutely no information about the attackers on any online platforms, in social networking services, in comments, or any appeals,” the Dagestani journalist told the “Caucasian Knot”. He noted that the law enforcement bodies came to the conclusion about the terrorist community after talking to the survivor of the shootout.
The journalist believes that the version about a terrorist attack and a terrorist organization “has a better chance of justifying the attack than criminal motives.” In the attack itself, the source of the “Caucasian Knot” sees signs of preparation, typical for terrorist attacks. Unlike the situation with Khasavyurt, where “apart from the confession of the young woman and some things that were found in her apartment, there is practically nothing,” the journalist has concluded.
“Right now, the law enforcement bodies absolutely do not need such incidents to occur anywhere against the background of the special military operation (SMO). Now this is considered very undesirable, as it turns out that the power institutions did not work somewhere at the level of prevention,” journalist Milrad Fatulaev told the “Caucasian Knot”.
According to the journalist’s version, terrorist attacks can be planned and prepared by individuals, including those recruited by certain foreign institutions. “For me, for example, it is clear that this was a terrorist attack deliberately committed,” the journalist summed up.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 16, 2025 at 12:48 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents. However, Idris Yusupov* does not agree with the MoJ’s decision and is challenging the status of foreign agent in court.