31 Jan 2019 18:33

38 militants neutralized in N.Caucasus in 2018 - Russian Guard

MOSCOW. Jan 31 (Interfax) - More than 30 militant bases and caches were destroyed in North Caucasus last year, the Russian Guard's press service told Interfax on Thursday

"In 2018 alone, as a result of the fulfillment of combat-service tasks in North Caucasus, the special-forces units of the Russian Guard, on their own and jointly with subunits of other law enforcement agencies, neutralized 38 militants, destroyed over 30 bandit bases, hiding places, and caches," it said.

In 2018 Special Rapid Response Unit (SOBR) and Special Purpose Police Unit (OMON) officers took part in over 50,000 raids, according to the National Guard. National Guard special forces detained over 800 armed criminals and seized 5,000 firearms.

Col. Gen. Sergei Melikov, First Deputy Director of the National Guard, praised the high level of special forces' professional skills and equipment. "Today these are highly-mobile, technically well-equipped National Guard units manned with highly-professional specialists capable of accomplishing their missions in any region of our country," Melikov was quoted by the agency's press service as saying.