Gunmen in Russia’s Dagestan attack religious sites and police post, killing at least 20

Update: According to the latest information from Dagestan’s Health Ministry, 20 people were killed and 46 people were injured in the attacks. Earlier, Russia’s Investigative Committee reported on the deaths of 15 police officers and four civilians. Dagestan Governor Sergey Melikov reported that six of the suspected attackers were killed during the subsequent counter-terrorism operation.

At least 20 people were killed and dozens reportedly injured in simultaneous attacks on religious sites and a police post in Russia’s Dagestan region on Sunday evening, according to reports from local authorities and the media.

In the city of Derbent, gunmen opened fire on the Orthodox Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin, reported the Telegram channel Baza. Witnesses described hearing gunfire and seeing smoke rising from around the church. Dagestan’s Interior Ministry confirmed that both the Orthodox church and a synagogue in Derbent were attacked with automatic weapons around 6:00 p.m. local time. The attackers reportedly fled in a white Volkswagen Polo. Videos shared on Telegram show the burning synagogue and damaged police vehicles.

Around the same time, a fire broke out at a synagogue in the regional capital, Makhachkala. Videos from the scene show smoke billowing from the synagogue’s third-floor windows. The local Interior Ministry branch then reported that armed men had also attacked a police post. Footage from Makhachkala shows gunmen in black clothing shooting at passing police cars with automatic weapons.

According to information from Dagestan’s Interior Ministry, six police officers were killed in the attacks and another 12 were wounded. Baza wrote that a civilian in the Derbent synagogue was also killed. The Muftiate of Dagestan reported nine deaths, including seven police officers, and 25 people injured.

Father Nikolai, a 66-year-old Orthodox priest, was killed during the attack on the church in Derbent, reported Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee.

The Anti-Terrorism Committee also announced the implementation of a counter-terrorist operation regime in Dagestan “to ensure the safety of citizens, suppress terrorist acts, and apprehend those involved in the armed attacks.” In turn, Russia’s Investigative Committee announced that it had launched criminal probes on charges of “terrorist acts.”

Four of the gunmen involved in the attack in Makhachkala were killed, according to Dagestan’s Interior Ministry. Earlier reports indicated a shootout between the attackers and law enforcement officers near the church, where 19 people were reportedly sheltering. Videos purportedly showing the bodies of the deceased gunmen are circulating on Telegram, along with footage claiming that two more suspects were detained on a beach in Makhachkala.

Among the gunmen were two sons and a nephew of Magomed Omarov, the head of Dagestan’s Sergokalinsky district. A video of the attack, filmed on one of their phones, was posted on Telegram. All three men were killed and their bodies identified, reported Interfax, citing a source. Following the attacks, Omarov was arrested and expelled from United Russia for “actions discrediting the party,” reported Baza.

In Derbent, the perpetrators of the attack on the church and synagogue holed up in a nearby building, according to an Interfax source in law enforcement. The surrounding area was cordoned off. The Anti-Terrorism Committee later reported that two of the gunmen had been killed and that the “active phase of the counter-terrorist operation” in the city had concluded as of 11:00 p.m. local time.

In Makhachkala, the operation to apprehend the perpetrators was ongoing as of 11:00 p.m. local time, according to Interfax, with all exits from the city blocked. The Interior Ministry’s press service stated that, “according to available information, the militants’ accomplices may attempt to escape and leave the city.”

In a video message published early Monday morning, Dagestan Governor Sergey Melikov expressed his condolences to the victims’ families. He asserted that the attacks were linked to the war in Ukraine, stating, “The war is now at our doorstep.” Melikov claimed that the authorities knew who was “behind the organization of the terrorist attacks,” but he did not provide any further details.

Update: According to the Anti-Terrorism Committee, five of the suspected attackers were killed as a result of the counter-terrorism operation, RIA Novosti reported around 1:30 a.m. local time on Monday. A short time later, Dagestan Governor Sergey Melikov said that six suspects were killed during the operation.