• The dead include more than 15 police officers and several civilians
• Six of the attackers are dead and police are hunting for others
• Gunmen targeted the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala during the Orthodox festival of Pentecost
• Churches, and synagogues in Russia’s North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan attacked
• The assailants have not been identified
• Dagestan has in the past been the scene of Islamist attacks

Deadly attacks on Dagestan synagogues and churches

Attacks on police officers, churches, and synagogues in Russia’s North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan have resulted in numerous fatalities. Gunmen targeted the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala during the Orthodox festival of Pentecost, leaving over 15 police officers and several civilians dead. Six attackers were killed, but police are still searching for others involved.

Dagestan’s leader, Sergei Melikov, announced three days of mourning starting Monday. Among the dead is an Orthodox priest, Father Nikolai, who had served in Derbent for over 40 years. Two churches and two synagogues were attacked, with a synagogue and a church in Derbent set on fire. Footage on social media shows people in dark clothes shooting at police cars, followed by emergency vehicles arriving at the scene.

The attackers have not been identified, but Dagestan has a history of Islamist attacks. Melikov suggested in a video that authorities understand who orchestrated the attacks, though he did not provide details. Following reports that two of his sons were involved in the attacks, Magomed Omarov, head of the Sergokalinsky district near Makhachkala, was detained by police.

Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim and one of Russia’s poorest regions, has faced similar violence in the past from groups like the Caucasus Emirate and the Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus. Despite President Vladimir Putin’s claims of interfaith harmony in Russia, recent events have shown ongoing threats from various groups, including a thwarted IS plot to attack a Moscow synagogue earlier this year.