According to Memorial Human Rights Center, senior criminal investigator Miroshnichenko was dismissed from the FSB's Kabardino-Balkarian department "due to loss of trust." He was the one who opened the criminal case against the teenager Kazbek Emkuzhev last year.

19-year-old Kazbek Emkuzhev from Nalchik is accused of participating in a terrorist organization. His lawyer, Ramzan Uzuyev, claims the case is completely fabricated, citing numerous violations and questionable evidence.

In addition to Emkuzhev, seven other individuals are named in the case, which was opened in April 2024: Mansur Kamolov, Aslan Makoyev, Ibragim Albogachiyev, Mukhamed Shomakhov, Tamirlan Chipchikov, Ratmir Murachayev, and Temirkan Balkarov. They are all connected by a common residence and frequenting the same computer club. According to investigators, Chipchikov and Kamolov, alleged adherents of the Islamic State ideology, created a terrorist group to attack security forces and government facilities. Chipchikov and Murachayev were "liquidated" during a "counter-terrorism operation" without an investigation.

According to Memorial, Yemkuzhev reported being kidnapped and tortured along with the dead, after which he claims he was held in an unknown location until being handed over to investigators. The trial, which began in January 2025, was repeatedly postponed. During questioning, prosecution witnesses gave contradictory testimony and alleged pressure, but the court ignored this.