President Putin has been on a fact-finding tour of several Russian southern republics. The trip comes just a day after a terrorist alert in the area.
On Sunday security forces surrounded a group of alleged militants in Dagestan, but the special operation was suspended. Police are currently trying to prevent militants from sliding out to the neighbouring Georgia and Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has inspected a military base in the mountains of Dagestan, which he ordered to be built after heavy fighting with militants in 1999. He has also visited the front-line mountain troops in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria. The unit is specially equipped with horses and dogs to work in snowy conditions.