gunmen kill priest and several police officers in two Dagestan cities

A synagogue was attacked in the town of Derbent, while an Orthodox church was targeted by armed men further south, in Makhachkala.

Places of worship attacked in the Russian Caucasus. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee reported clashes on Sunday June 23 between armed men and police in Dagestan, this province in the south of the Russian Federation located on the border with Georgia. An Orthodox priest and six police officers were killed, as well as twelve others injured in the attacks, said Dagestan Interior Ministry spokeswoman Gayana Gariyeva.

“The attacks were carried out against two Orthodox churches, a synagogue and a police checkpoint”, declared the committee, quoted by the Ria-Novosti agency. On social networks, videos are circulating showing a synagogue burned down in the city of Derbent. “Unknown people fired automatic weapons at a synagogue and a church” from Derbent around 6 p.m. (5 p.m. in Paris), said the Dagestan Interior Ministry. It was in this town that the 66-year-old priest was killed, according to authorities.

On Telegram, the administration also published a video showing attackers shooting at police officers in Makhachkala, about ten kilometers south of Derbent. Two attackers were killed by the police, according to the ministry, cited by the Tass agency. A synagogue in this city was also set on fire, according to the chairman of the public council of Jewish communities of the Russian Federation, Boruch Gorin.

Local authorities remained on alert on Sunday evening, although no claims had been made regarding this attack. An investigation has been opened “under article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (terrorist act)”announced the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation on its website.

On October 30, 2023, the Dagestan airport was invaded by a crowd hostile to Israel, against a backdrop of war in the Gaza Strip. For several hours, the authorities of this predominantly Muslim Caucasian republic had been overwhelmed by rioters, who were looking for potential plane passengers from Israel.