The shootout involving security forces was the first in Stavropol in three years.

The shootout in which security forces killed a Kislovodsk resident was preceded by a counter-terrorism operation in early February 2023. At that time, security forces reported the killing of four suspects in the village of Petrovsky, suspected of plotting a terrorist attack.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," a Kislovodsk resident, born in 1982, suspected in the case of plotting a terrorist attack in Stavropol, offered armed resistance to FSB special forces and was killed by return fire, the FSB reported today. According to the agency, a Makarov pistol, an F-1 hand grenade, and a backpack containing an improvised explosive device were found at the scene.

According to the "Caucasian Knot," based on its own materials and information from open sources, the shootout between security forces and a Kislovodsk resident was the first such incident in Stavropol Krai since February 8, 2023.

On that day, a counter-terrorism operation (CTO) was declared in the village of Petrovsky. As a result, security forces reported the deaths of four militants planning a terrorist attack on the railway commissioned by a "Ukrainian armed group." On February 9, the counter-terrorism operation (CTO) regime was lifted.

Before the incident in the village of Petrovskoye, the CTO regime was last declared in Stavropol Krai on the night of December 9, 2017. It was then introduced in the center of Stavropol. The FSB stated that the purpose of the special operation was to prevent a terrorist attack. According to security forces, three militants were killed during the counter-terrorism operation.

The dead were identified as natives of Chechnya, Dagestan, and the Stavropol Territory. The special operation took place in a quiet area near the city center and came as a surprise, according to experts and Stavropol residents interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot." Residents noted that the counter-terrorist operation (CTO) regime did not cause any fear.

As a reminder, security forces regularly reported foiled terrorist attacks in Stavropol Krai in 2025. For example, in May 2025, nine people, including eight teenagers, suspected of plotting attacks on police officers, were taken into custody in Stavropol Krai. Some of the detainees told security forces that they swore an oath to a terrorist organization without understanding the meaning of what they said.

Before this incident, since the beginning of 2025, the FSB had reported foiling terrorist attacks in Stavropol Krai at least four times. Analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" disputed these FSB reports. The reports are due to the activity of terrorist supporters and preventive measures by security forces, stated journalist Vasily Balditsyn and scientist Alexey Gunya. Security services in the North Caucasus are also persecuting activists and critics of security forces, countered Interior Ministry Colonel Amir Kolov.

Materials with monthly, quarterly, and annual casualty counts of the armed conflict in the North Caucasus regions are published in the section "North Caucasus – Casualty Statistics." Annual statistics are also presented as infographics.