Gunmen attacked churches, synagogues and police posts in Daghestan, Russia’s North Caucasus region, killing at least 15 police and National Guard officers, as well as several civilians and an Orthodox priest, Russian authorities said.
At least 12 people were injured in attacks in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala on Sunday, Pentecost for the Russian Orthodox Church.
A video shared on social media and broadcast on Russian television showed the sky over Derbent, a Muslim region with an ancient Jewish community, covered in smoke and flames after a synagogue was set on fire.
A place of worship and a police post were attacked in Makhachkala, Daghestan’s capital and largest city.
The Russian Investigative Committee announced that it has opened a criminal investigation into “terrorist activities” in Daghestan, which borders Chechnya and is considered one of Russia’s poorest regions.
In the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala, two Orthodox churches, a synagogue and a police checkpoint were attacked tonight.
According to preliminary information, a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church and two policemen were killed as a result of the terrorist attack.
The Russian Orthodox Church reported that archpriest Nikolai Kotelnikov was brutally murdered in Derbent.
The attack on the Derbent synagogue took place 40 minutes before evening prayers.
Boruch Gorin, head of the Federation of Russian Jewish Communities, wrote in Telegram that the synagogue in Derbent was set on fire. A synagogue in Mahachkala was also set on fire and destroyed.
Rami Davydov, a teacher in Makhachkala, later told state-run RIA Novosti that no one had been killed or injured.
Daghestan’s Interior Ministry said 19 people took refuge inside a church in the city before being taken to safety.
Serhiy Melikov, head of the Republic of Daghestan, said six attackers had been “eliminated”.
Russia’s TASS news agency reported that the gunmen were members of an international terrorist organization, citing law enforcement agencies.
The attackers have not been identified.
Melikov said that unknown people tried to destabilize the social situation in Derbent and Makhachkala today.
Daghestan police officers prevented his progress. According to preliminary information, there were several casualties. All services operate according to instructions. The identity of the attackers is currently being ascertained.
The incident comes three months after gunmen opened fire on a rock concert in the Moscow suburb of Krokus, killing 133 people. The Islamic State based in Khorasan Province, also known as ISKP (ISIS-K), which is based in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack, with no evidence that Moscow was working with Ukraine.
Russia’s FSB security service announced in April that it had arrested four people suspected of masterminding the attack on the Krokus municipality in Daghestan.
The Washington, DC-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in an update on June 23 progress that ISKP praised its “brothers in the Caucasus” for showing the capabilities of Russian arms Al-Azaim Media. in Dagestan.
“Al-Azaim did not claim credit for the attack itself, and the reference to the Caucasus suggests that the Wilayat Kavkaz (North Caucasus branch of the IDF) was responsible for the attack,” ISW said.
Hawkins said violence in the region has declined over the years, noting that neighboring Russia has not experienced the same conflict as the republic of Chechnya, while Russian forces have fought two brutal wars in that time.
Hawkins said this type of attack, coordinated and targeting civilian religious infrastructure, was unusual and would shock Russians across the country.
In October last year, many people stormed the Makhachkala airport to protest against Israel’s landing there. At least 60 people were arrested after disrupting runway security and shouting anti-Semitic slogans around the plane.
