Unknown assailants carried out armed attacks on two Orthodox churches and a synagogue in Russia’s majority Muslim republic of Dagestan, resulting in the deaths of six police officers, a member of the national guard, a priest, and a security guard. The attacks occurred in the capital of Makhachkala and in the city of Derbent, where gunfights between police and gunmen were ongoing. The Russian Investigative Committee has opened criminal terrorism probes and Dagestan’s Interior Ministry stated that police killed four of the assailants in Makhachkala.
The attackers used automatic rifles to open fire at the synagogue and church in Derbent, before fleeing the scene in a white Volkswagen Polo car. Videos posted online showed the synagogue catching fire after the attack. Father Nikolai, a 66-year-old priest at the Orthodox church in Derbent, was killed in a knife attack, along with a security guard at the church in Makhachkala. In addition to the attacks on the religious sites, a group of unknown assailants also attacked a traffic police post in Makhachkala, resulting in the death of at least one police officer and injuries to six others during an armed standoff.
As a response to the attacks, Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee has implemented a counterterrorism regime in Dagestan, which includes the closure of roads leading in and out of Derbent and Makhachkala. Security forces have surrounded the militants in Derbent and are preparing to storm the building where they are hiding. In a separate incident, attackers fired on a police car in the village of Sergokal, leaving at least one police officer wounded. Magomed Omarov, the head of Dagestan’s Sergokalinsky district, has been detained after reports that his sons were involved in the attacks.
In April, Russia’s FSB security service announced the arrest of four individuals in Dagestan suspected of planning a deadly attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall concert venue, which was claimed by the Islamic State. It is known that militants from Dagestan have joined the Islamic State group in Syria, and in 2015, the group declared a “franchise” in the North Caucasus region. Dagestan has faced ongoing conflict with Islamist militants, particularly after the defeat of Chechen insurgents in the 1990s and early 2000s. This conflict has resulted in numerous civilian and police casualties in the North Caucasus.
This situation highlights the ongoing challenges posed by extremist violence in the North Caucasus region, particularly in Dagestan, where the recent attacks took place. The attacks on religious sites and law enforcement personnel underscore the complex security environment in the region, where various extremist groups have been active for years. The response by Russian security forces, including the implementation of a counterterrorism regime and the detention of individuals suspected of involvement in the attacks, reflects the seriousness of the situation and the ongoing efforts to address the threat posed by violent extremism in Dagestan and the wider North Caucasus region.
