Russian attack on churches:
Makhachkala, the capital city of Dagestan, and Derbent, a coastal city, were both the targets of simultaneous strikes.
Sunday’s shooting at synagogues, churches, and a police post in Dagestan, a region of North Caucasus Russia, left at least 15 people dead, including police officers and a priest, and several others injured, according to the governor of the area. The gunmen are still at large.
A “terrorist attack,” according to Governor Sergei Melikov, took place simultaneously in Derbent, a coastal city, and Makhachkala, the main city in Dagestan.
Police officers reportedly killed two militants in Derbent and four in Makhachkala, according to officials.
Along with the police officers, a number of civilians were also among the dead, according to Melikov. Among them was an Orthodox priest who had spent more than 40 years working in Derbent.
“This evening in Derbent and Makhachkala unknown (attackers) made attempts to destabilise the situation in society,” Melikov stated on Telegram.
Russian attack on churches
Subsequently, he said, “We know who is behind these terrorist attacks and what objective they are pursuing,” referring to the conflict in Ukraine without giving specifics.
“We have to acknowledge that conflict also affects our households. Although we experienced it, we now have to deal with it,” he remarked.
The “active phase” of the operations in Derbent and Makhachkala, according to Melikov, has come to a close, and “six bandits have been liquidated”.
“All the members of these sleeper cells who prepared (the attacks) and who were prepared, including abroad,” he continued, will be the target of the police’ search efforts.
He added that Dagestan had designated June 24–26 to be days of sorrow, with all entertainment scheduled to be canceled and flags lowered to half-staff.
According to the Russian Investigative Committee, criminal investigations into “acts of terror” in Dagestan have been launched. Nonetheless, no one immediately took credit for the strikes.
According to law enforcement, which was quoted by Russia’s official media, two sons of the district chief of Sergokala in central Dagestan had been arrested and were among the attackers.
Three months prior, Russia suffered its biggest terrorist attack in years when the Islamic State claimed responsibility for 145 fatalities at a music hall close to Moscow.
Here are the top updates on the deadly attacks in Russia:
Russian attack on churches:
- The interior ministry of Dagestan reported on Sunday that a church and a synagogue in Derbent, Russia, on the Caspian Sea were attacked by a gang of armed individuals, and that as a result, both buildings caught fire. Large flames and thick plumes of smoke shooting out of several windows were depicted in multiple social media photos. In Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, an attack was also carried out simultaneously on a church and a traffic police post.
- According to the AP, which cited Russian authorities, seven law enforcement officers, a priest, and a church security guard were among the fatalities from the incident.
- In the Derbent church, Father Nikolay, the priest, was reportedly slashed in the throat by the armed men, and the security guard was fatally shot. According to AP, which cited the Dagestan ministry of internal affairs, one of the law enforcement personnel slain in the attack was the chief of the “Dagestan Lights” police station.
- 19 individuals are said to have shut themselves in for protection during the attack on a Makhachkala church.
- A counter-terrorist operation was initiated by the Russian government after the attack. At least four attackers have also died during this, according to Russian media.
- Based mostly on Muslim areas with a history of armed terrorism, Russia’s National Anti-Terrorist Committee declared the attacks to be “terrorist acts.”
- According to AP, which cited CNN, the Russian Federation’s Criminal Code claimed that the investigative directorate of the investigative committee for the Republic of Dagestan has opened a “terror investigation” into the attacks. According to a statement from the investigation directorate, “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.”
- In a Telegram post following the attacks, Sergey Melikov, the head of the Dagestan Republic, stated that “unknown persons made attempts to destabilize the social situation.” In addition, he said that plans for an operational headquarters, a counter-operation “interception,” and the identification of the assailants were being implemented. “Panic and fear are what they were counting on in…,” Melikov continued, urging people to maintain their composure. From Dagestanis, they will not obtain this.
- Meanwhile, the AP stated that a Dagestani official was arrested due to his son’s involvement in the attacks, citing the local media.
- The area will observe three days of mourning until Wednesday, according to Russian authorities.