Justifying the attack on police officers in Makhachkala formed the basis of the verdict in the terrorism case.

Resident of the Zaporizhzhia region Vyacheslav Nikiforenko was sentenced by a military court in Rostov-on-Don to 15 years in prison for publications on social media related to discrediting the army, as well as calls for terrorism and extremism and propaganda of a terrorist movement. One of the charges is justifying the attack on police officers on May 5, 2025, in Makhachkala.

As reported

"Caucasian Knot", law enforcement officials recognized the attack on the traffic police unit in Makhachkala on May 5 as a terrorist act and concluded that the participants in the attack planned it for about six months. In the shootout, two police officers were killed, and two law enforcement officers and three civilians were injured. The Investigative Committee announced that one of the attackers survived and is in the hospital, and also confessed. On May 12, he was taken into custody on charges of attempting to harm law enforcement officers, theft of weapons, and carjacking.

The Southern District Military Court sentenced Vyacheslav Nikiforenko to 15 years in a strict regime colony with three years in prison for publications on social media, the court's press service reported on its Telegram channel.

According to the investigation and the court, while in Molotchansk, Zaporizhzhia region, with the aim of continuing the activities of the "Atesh Movement," which is a structural unit of a banned terrorist international organization, he published 7 posts on his social media page highlighting the activities of the specified terrorist organization.

Also, on June 6, 2025, he posted on his page information containing knowingly false information about the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. On May 5, 2025, the defendant posted a publication containing a positive assessment of the terrorist act – the attack on police officers in Makhachkala on May 5, 2025. He was also charged with publications encouraging the financing of the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the killing of a group of individuals united by the characteristics of belonging to the nationality "Russian."

According to the court's verdict, the defendant was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment in a strict regime correctional colony, with the first 3 years to be served in prison, the court's press service reported.