Chechen officials say four police officers have been killed in a gunbattle with militants near the capital Grozny that also left two insurgents dead.
The fighting overnight was the latest sign of increasing violence in Chechnya and other parts of Russia’s troubled North Caucasus.
In another district of Chechnya, meanwhile, five Interior Ministry troops were wounded in fighting with gunmen early Friday.
Police in the neighboring republic of Dagestan said three militants were killed when police tried to stop the car they were riding in.
The murder of a Chechen aid worker and her husband earlier this week highlighted the region’s turmoil and undermined Kremlin claims that its efforts are stabilising the region.