January 13, 2006: A reserve of 13,000 Interior Ministry police has been set up in the Caucasus, in anticipation of another large scale Islamic terrorist attack. This has become a favorite terrorist tactic, where dozens, or over a hundred, armed men are concentrated in a town, many attacks on police and government buildings are made, and then most of the rebels escape. The government formed the reserve, and prepared plans to interrupting the next terrorist attack, and killing or capturing more of the attackers. While these attacks are apparently still being planned by Chechen rebels, most of the manpower is coming from other parts of the Caucasus.

Small scale fighting, and some terrorist attacks, continue in Chechnya, but the rebels have few active fighters left, and most of them are Islamic radicals. Most of the Chechen nationalists are dead, or have joined the pro-Russian group. The Islamic radicals, financed by outside money ("Islamic charities" based in the Persian Gulf), are trying to get a wider Islamic revolution going. While this effort is terrorizing many Russians, it is no real threat to Russia.

January 9, 2006: In Dagestan, some 1,500 soldiers and police surrounded some three dozen Islamic terrorists in the mountains. But after several days of noisy combat, had little to show for it. One soldier died, and ten were wounded. The biggest danger appeared to be from friendly fire, as the many police and army units stumbled into each other in the mountains.