According to Russian authorities, two armed militants were killed by security forces overnight on the outskirts of Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria in the volatile North Caucasus.
Investigative Committee officials said on August 7 that at least two other militants had managed to flee the scene.
The special operation was launched late on August 6 after a group of suspected militants was located in a forest near the village of Khasanya.
The gun battle lasted for several hours.
No casualties among security forces were reported.
Violence between suspected Islamic militants and security forces in the North Caucasus region, which includes Daghestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Kabardino-Balkaria, leaves scores of people dead and injured each year.
Based on reporting by Interfax and ITAR-TASS