A military operation that saw mortars and army helicopters bombing the slopes of Mount Elbrus in Kabardino-Balkaria on Wednesday failed after no members of an insurgent group spotted in the area were killed or arrested, Interfax reported Thursday.
The group numbered eight to 10 people, all of whom managed to escape, a law enforcement official told Interfax.
Traces of blood on the snow indicate that some of the insurgents, who killed a law enforcement officer and injured five others, were wounded, he said.