At least 15 policemen and four civilians, including an Orthodox priest, have tragically lost their lives in the southern Russian region of Dagestan, following attacks by gunmen on churches and synagogues in two cities, according to officials.
The Russian authorities have labeled these shootings as terrorist attacks and have stated that the situation is now under control. They have reported that six of the assailants were killed during the incidents.
Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region in the North Caucasus, has been grappling with a long-running Islamist insurgency. The attacks that occurred in the regional capital, Makhachkala, and the city of Derbent on Sunday evening are considered the most severe terrorist incident in Russia since militants killed 145 people and injured 180 at a concert hall in Moscow in March.
These shootings appear to be part of a recent surge in Islamist violence within Russia. The state news agency, Tass, cited Russian law enforcement sources who claimed that the attackers were “adherents of an international terrorist organization.”
In a video message on the social media app Telegram, the local governor, Sergei Melikov, asserted that the attacks had been partially “directed from abroad” and stated that authorities would continue to hunt down “all members of sleeper cells” active in the region.
Melikov described the day as “a day of tragedy for Dagestan and for the whole country.”