The driver of a Zhiguli car smashed through a gate at the base and headed for an area where soldiers were quartered in tents. Soldiers opened fire on the car before it reached the center of the base. The driver then rammed the car into a military truck, where it exploded. After the blast, a roadside bomb hit a car taking investigators to the scene, but no injuries were reported in the second explosion. However, attackers claimed killing 56 Russian soldiers by the bombing. Within the framework of administrative divisions, Buynaksk serves as the administrative center of Buynaksky District, even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the Town of Buynaksk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the Town of Buynaksk is incorporated as Buynaksk Urban Okrug. Ethnic groups (2002 census):  Buynaksk has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification: "Dfa").