Gunmen Kill 19 Police Officers and Civilians in Russia Church and Synagogue Attack

Picture courtesy: (Sputnik/AP) Gunmen killed nineteen police officers and several civilians, including the priest, in an attack on churches and synagogues in southern Russia on Sunday.

(The Post News)– On Sunday, June 23, a gunman carried out a coordinated attack in Russia’s southernmost Dagestan province, resulting in the deaths of police officers, including Orthodox priest Father Nikolai Kotelnikov, who had served in Derbent for over 40 years at the Church of Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The attack also claimed the lives of an unknown number of civilians and left several others injured.

Russia’s National Anti-Terrorist Committee (NAC) said on Monday that armed militants ambushed two Orthodox churches, two synagogues, and police officers around two cities.

The head of the Dagestan Republic, Sergey Melikov, said that at least six militants were also killed after the attacks that occurred on churches and synagogues.

The police posts in the cities of Derbent and the regional capital, Makhachkala, were around 120 km (75 miles) away from each other.

The attacks occurred near a location in the Republic of Dagestan, situated in the North Caucasus, a predominantly Muslim region on the Caspian Sea known for its history of separatist and militant violence.

Tensions in the region have escalated during Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, with ethnic minorities disproportionately affected by deployments for combat roles.
Video and photos depict significant flames and smoke emanating from a synagogue in Derbent.

Footage captured from a building window in Makhachkala shows an unidentified gunman dressed in black shooting at a police car on a street.

However, at the moment, no group has taken responsibility for the attacks since the last three months, when the ISIS affiliate ISIS-K confirmed it had carried out an attack that occurred at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow.

The attack resulted in more than 140 deaths in one of Russia’s deadliest terrorist atrocities in years.

Russian law enforcement agencies argued that on Sunday, June 23, after the incident, the gunmen in Dagestan were obeying an international terrorist organisation.

Mavludin Khidirnabiev, the head of the Dagestan Lights police department, and law enforcement officers were among those killed in the attack, according to the Dagestan Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Telegram Channel.

Melikov announced that three days of mourning would begin on Monday in Dagestan to show solidarity with those who lost their lives in a deadly shooting.

The state flags will be lowered to half-staff, and financial assistance will also be provided to the families of the victims.

He added, saying that early in a Telegram post, unidentified persons made attempts to destabilise the social situation.

The Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Republic of Dagestan argued that it had launched a terror investigation into the assault under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

In a statement, the agency announced that all the circumstances of the incident and the people who were involved in the terrorist attack have been established and that they will be given a legal assessment.

While the investigation is currently taking place, some local Russian officials pointed the finger at Ukraine without showing evidence.

The State Duma deputy from Dagestan, Dmitry Gadzhiyev, states that he believes the special services of Ukraine and NATO countries were behind the attack.

However, Russian senator Dmitry Rogozin stated in a Telegram post that the claim that writing off every terrorist attack as the machinations of Ukraine and NATO” can result in huge problems for Russia.