 On 5 September 2012, Aílton joined the Russian side Terek Grozny on a three-year contract, after he completed his transfer from APOEL for a fee reportedly in the region of , which was the transfer record for a Cypriot club.On 14 September 2012, he made his debut for Terek.He opened the score in a 2–0 away win over the reigning champions Zenit St. Petersburg.