[1] On 6 January, in heavy snowfall, Ramzan Akhmadov's detachment descended to Shali and settled for the night in the territory of an abandoned huge industrial zone of a Pipe Factory.

At that time the Russian command received information that a group of militants had been spotted on the territory of the plant.

At that time there were about 200 OMON (military police) soldiers in the surrounded buildings of the railway station and the commandant's office.

Having learnt how many soldiers were in the commandant's base, Akhmadov subjected the building to heavy shelling and refused to storm it.

Ramzan Akhmadov later recalled that due to extreme fatigue they overturned the stretcher on which they were carrying Basayev several times.