In Dagestan, Russia, gunmen attack houses of worship, killing police, a priest, and civilians.
In what appeared to be a coordinated operation, gunmen opened fire on places of worship in two cities of the Dagestan province in southern Russia on Sunday, killing at least 15 police officers and four civilians, including an Orthodox priest. At least six "militants" were also slain, according to Dagestan Republic leader Sergey Melikov, after attacks on police stations, churches, and synagogues in the nearby cities of Derbent and Makhachkala, which are roughly 120 kilometres (75 miles) away.
The attacks happened in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, a mostly Muslim area on the Caspian Sea with a history of separatist and militant violence. Russia's conflict in Ukraine, where ethnic minorities have been disproportionately mobilised to fight, has exacerbated the unrest in the area.
Large flames and thick plumes of smoke were seen shooting at a police car in a street from a building in Makhachkala, while footage taken through the window of a building in Derbent showed people dressed in black shooting at the vehicle. The attacks, which occurred three months after ISIS offshoot ISIS-K claimed responsibility for an attack at Moscow's Crocus City Hall that left over 140 people dead in one of the bloodiest terrorist strikes in Russian history, have not yet been attributed to any group. The shooters in Dagestan were described by Russian law enforcement services as "adherents of an international terrorist organisation" to the state-run news agency TASS on Sunday.
In the two cities, "armed militants attacked two Orthodox churches, two synagogues, and police officers," according to a statement released on Monday by Russia's National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC). It further stated, according to TASS, that the counterterrorism operation in Makhachkala and Derbent was completed. Russia's investigative committee announced on Monday that four civilians had died in the assaults, raising the total number of fatalities to 19. The head of Dagestan, Melikov, also stated in an early Monday Telegram post that while the "operational and combat measures in Makhachkala and Derbent" had reached the end of their active phase, more investigations would still be conducted. Melikov discussed the potential role of "sleeper cells" and hypothesised that outside assistance may have been provided for the attacks.
He continued, "Until all participants in the sleeper cells are identified—which, obviously, include some that were organised from abroad—operative-search and investigative measures will be carried out." In Dagestan, three days of mourning have been proclaimed in the wake of the fatal shootings, and state flags have been lowered to half-staff, according to Melikov. The victims' relatives will also receive financial support, TASS reports.
Priest slain, synagogue destroyed
A tiny number of Christians and even fewer Jews live in Dagestan, and they seem to have been among the targets of the attacks on Sunday. Chairman of the Dagestan Public Monitoring Commission Shamil Khadulaev identified the deceased priest as Father Nikolay, who was slain during an attack on a church in Derbent. His throat was cut by them. Khadulaev stated, "He was 66 years old and in very bad health. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Dagestan posted a video throughout the night that appeared to show at least twelve law enforcement officials outside the gates of a church in the northwest of Makhachkala. The officers appeared to be armed and to be wearing tactical gear. The footage has been geolocated by CNN at the entrance of the city's Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Assumption (Svyato-Uspenskiy Sobor).
the aftermath of a Dagestani synagogue attack in Derbent.
A security guard was slain in a shooting at the cathedral earlier on Sunday, according to TASS, and 19 individuals had barricaded themselves inside the building during the assault. The Dagestani Ministry of Internal Affairs was cited by TASS in reporting that those who had holed up there have subsequently been evacuated to safety. According to a statement from the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC), two synagogues in Dagestan—one in Derbent and one in Makhachkala—were also attacked in the meanwhile. According to the RJC, attackers entered the Derbent synagogue forty minutes before evening prayer and "set the building on fire using Molotov cocktails," killing security officers and police outside.
Images of the building showed smoke and flames shooting out of several windows on at least one storey. According to Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Israel, the small Jewish population of Dagestan is a part of the Mountain Jews who traditionally resided for millennia in areas of Azerbaijan and what is now Russia's Caucasus.
The synagogue in Derbent "burned to the ground," according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and local guards were slain. Meanwhile, gunshots targeted the synagogue in Makhachkala. The ministry released a statement saying, "As far as is known, there were no worshippers in the synagogues at the time of the attack, and there are no known casualties from the Jewish community." Since an antisemitic mob surged through the local airport in October, attempting to stop a passenger jet arriving from Tel Aviv, security personnel had been stationed outside local synagogues.
Videos showed a mob of people inside the Makhachkala Uytash Airport and on the runway, some waving the Palestinian flag and others pushing their way through closed doors at the international terminal. At least ten people were hurt in the clashes. The airport incident coincided with a growing public outcry in the area over Israel's siege and embargo of Gaza in retaliation for Hamas's lethal strikes on Israel on October 7.
investigation ongoing following the death of a police officer
On Sunday, there was reportedly word of an attack at a Makhachkala police traffic post. The head of the "Dagestan Lights" police department, Mavludin Khidirnabiev, was among the law enforcement officials slain, as per the Dagestan Ministry of Internal Affairs' Telegram channel. Melikov, the head of Dagestan, stated in a previous Telegram post that "unknown persons made attempts to destabilise the social situation." Police officers from Daghazstan obstructed their path. Preliminary reports indicate that victims are among them. He said that the attackers' identities were being determined.
In a later video message, Melikov stated, "The attacks, the encroachment on our brotherhood, on our multinational unity, on our confessional indivisibility, are an attempt to split our unity, thereby creating rifts between us." Committee for National Antiterrorism/AP In Dagestan, Russian security personnel carry out a counterterrorism operation. According to the Russian Federation's Criminal Code, the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Republic of Dagestan announced that it had opened a terror investigation into the attacks. The agency released a statement saying, "All the circumstances of the incident and the persons involved in the terrorist attacks are being established, and their actions will be given a legal assessment."
While the inquiry is still ongoing, a few local Russian authorities blamed Ukraine without supplying any supporting documentation. Dmitry Gadzhiyev, a Dagestani State Duma deputy, expressed his suspicion that the attack might have been carried out by "special services of Ukraine and NATO countries." However, Russian senator Dmitry Rogozin refuted the assertion, stating in a Telegram message that Russia would face "big problems" if it continued to write off every terrorist attack as the result of "machinations of Ukraine and NATO."
