"A counter-terrorist operation is starting at 5:00 a.m. [local time], and a special legal regime has been imposed in parts of the city of Chegem in the Chegemsky District of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic", the FSB staff in the region stated on Wednesday.
The security service told media outlets that the suspects had been spotted a day before in a private house in the eastern part of the city.
Russian media later reported, citing a source that law enforcement officers clashed with the extremists at around 6:00 a.m. and managed to shoot two suspects dead. The FSB noted that the suspects refused to surrender, adding that both were identified after the operation. According to reports, there were no casualties among civilians or security service troops.