Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers discovered on Friday a "cashbook" of militants killed in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan the previous day, the FSB said.
On Thursday four militants, including three gang leaders, were killed in the town of Khasavyurt when they opened fire on law enforcers.
The FSB said the "cashbook" indicates that militants received funds from the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as extorted money from local businessmen.
Russia's mainly Muslim and ethnically diverse North Caucasus republics have been swept by an upsurge of violence recently, which has also swept neighboring regions, where hundreds of people have been killed in militant attacks and skirmishes between security forces and gunmen.
Moscow announced an end to its decade-long antiterrorism campaign against separatists in Chechnya in April 2009, but has since had to step up the fight against militants as skirmishes and attacks on police and other officials have continued.
The president of the republic of Ingushetia was severely wounded and rushed to Moscow for treatment after a suicide bomber attacked his motorcade in June 2009. Also that June, the interior minister was shot dead in Dagestan.
MAKHACHKALA, January 2 (RIA Novosti)
