MAKHACHKALA. May 10 (Interfax) - A group of gunmen that was recently eliminated in the Kizlyar and Tsumada districts of Dagestan could possibly have been preparing terrorist attacks on the eve of May 9, Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev said at a conference in Makhachkala.
"This group could have possibly prepared serious terrorist attacks on the eve of Victory Day," Nurgaliyev said.
However, due to skillful and coordinated actions by police and security forces, the May 9 festivities "were held at a high level," he said.
The special operation against the gunmen was conducted on May 8.
Seventy-three militants have been killed in Dagestan in 2011, including 17 in April and early May alone, he said.