Terrorist attack kills over 15 people in Russia’s Dagestan region

Terrorist attack in Dagestan

AP News reports that armed militants killed more than 15 police officers and several civilians, including an Orthodox priest, in the Russian southern Republic of Dagestan.

Attacks on Derbent and Makhachkala

The gunmen opened fire on two Orthodox churches, a synagogue, and a police post in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala, the latter (pictured here) being the capital of Dagestan.

Image: mattesensei / unsplash

Local authorities speaks out

“More than fifteen police officers fell victims of the today’s terrorist act, protecting peace and calmness of Dagestan”, declared Dagestan governor Sergei Melikov to Russian state news agency TASS.

One of the victims: Father Nikolay

According to TASS, one of the victims was Father Nikolay, a Russian Orthodox priest that served the people of Derbent for over 40 years.

Five (or six) casualties

AP News writes that Dagestan governor Sergei Melikov declared that six gunmen had been “liquidated”, however this information differs from the five casualties reported by Russia’s Anti-Terrorist Committee.

Where's Dagestan?

Located on the Caspian Sea, AP News describes Dagestan as a predominantly Muslim region with a history of armed insurgency and terrorism.

An ongoing investigation

The identities and motives of the gunmen have been described by The New York Times as no group claimed responsibility for the attacks. Russia's Federal Security Service is currently investigating.

Pictured: Russia's Federal Security Service headquarters in Moscow

Russia's vulnerability

However, The New York Times describes the two coordinated attacks as underscoring Russia’s vulnerability to extremist violence.

Crocus City Music Hall

Back in March, four gunmen killed 145 people in a Moscow concert venue in an attack for which the Islamic State later took responsibility.

Pinning the blame to the West

At the time, some Russian politicians tried to connect the concert hall attack to Kyiv and Washington.

Baseless accusations

The New York Times writes that something similar happened with the attack on Dagestan, with senior lawmaker Leonid Slutsky claiming that “the blood of the victims” was also in the hands of the United States, without any evidence.

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