Security forces loyal to the Kremlin have killed at least eight Islamist insurgents in the conflict-prone North Caucasus, the Russian news agency Interfax reported Thursday, DPA reported.
Chechnyan President Ramzan Kadyrov spoke of a "successful special mission in a forest in the south."
Russian officials put the number of "bandits" killed since the beginning of the year at 250.
There has nevertheless been no noticeable shrinkage in the ranks of the terrorists, according to the commander of the interior forces, Nikolay Rogozhkin.
Some 500 insurgents are believed to be active in the North Caucasus.
The situation in the whole conflict area, which also includes the republics of Ingushetia and Dagestan, continues to be "complicated, but manageable," Rogozhkin said.
The "bandits" are very mobile, he noted.
Kadyrov emphasised once again that foreign terrorists were also active in the region.
Russia has a total of 24,000 troops stationed in the North Caucasus to combat illegal groups, according to official information.
Armed Islamists in the Caucasus have for years been fighting for independence from Russia.