In one mountain aul, a disabled child bangs on a landmine with a hammer, nearly killing a group of Russian soldiers searching the house.
They are likewise harassed by the local townspeople, who vandalize their checkpoint, drop off boxes of excrement, or pass by in large numbers to intimidate the troops.
Occasionally, a local girl visits the checkpoint, offering the soldiers sexual services from her mute sister in exchange for ammunition.
One soldier, Krysa (Rat), who is under investigation as it was his weapon that was used in the skirmish with the townspeople, is arrested by the local police department with approval from the Russian military.
Krysa is shaken by this discovery, and enters a state of shock, removing his headgear and simply sitting where he stands.