What we know about the attacks that left at least 20 dead in Dagestan, southern Russia

Armed men attacked Orthodox churches and at least one synagogue on Sunday. Russian authorities have denounced “terrorist” acts.

Places of worship have been attacked in Russia and Ukraine is in the sights of local authorities. Armed men attacked Orthodox churches and at least one synagogue in the republic of Dagestan on Sunday June 23, killing at least 20 people, including a priest and police officers, and injuring 56, authorities said, denouncing “terrorist acts”. If no claim was made in this sense, the leader of this region of the Russian Caucasus quickly alluded to Ukraine, declaring: “War is coming to our homes”. Franceinfo summarizes what we know about these attacks.

At least 20 dead, including a priest and 15 police officers

The attacks took place in Dagestan’s capital, Makhachkala, and the coastal city of Derbent. They aimed “two Orthodox churches, a synagogue and a police checkpoint”, announced the Russian Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAK), cited by the government agency Ria Novosti. Jewish representatives, including the Russian Jewish Congress, said a second synagogue was also burned. Finally, armed individuals opened fire on a vehicle transporting police officers in the village of Sergokala, the Interior Ministry told Russian agencies.

The human toll is heavy. Four civilians, including a 66-year-old priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, died, according to authorities. At least 15 police officers were killed, according to the latest report released Monday, which shows 20 victims in total and 56 injured. The local administration declared three days of mourning in Dagestan.

On Sunday evening, images, reported by Russian media, showed a burning building, presented as a synagogue. In other videos, gunshots could be heard in the streets of Makhachkala, where a large police force was deployed. But the authenticity of these images could not immediately be verified.

An open investigation, Ukraine in the sights of the authorities

There is no evidence to determine the motivations or identities of the perpetrators of these attacks, which appear to be coordinated. The NAK said it had opened a criminal investigation into “terrorist acts”, without further details. The leader of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, said on Sunday evening that “unknown people tried to destabilize society”.

The responsibility of kyiv was very quickly put forward by the Russian authorities. “We know who is behind these terrorist attacks and what objective they are pursuing.” said Sergei Melikov, without specifying who was in the viewfinder, but referring to the war in Ukraine. “We must understand that war comes to our homes too. We felt it, but today we face it”, he said. Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church and fervent supporter of the Kremlin, for his part assured that the“enemy” sought to destroy “interreligious peace” in Russia. His goal is to “planting the seeds of hatred”, he denounced, without naming those responsible.

The leader of Dagestan added that “the active phase” operations in Derbent and Makhachkala “was finished” and “six bandits had been liquidated”while the NAK only counts five attackers killed, whose identity “could be established”. The authorities will try to find “all the members of these sleeping cells who have prepared [les attaques] and which have been prepared, including abroad”, he said. On Monday morning, the anti-terrorist operation was also closed, according to NAK, cited by Russian news agencies.

A series of attacks in Russia

In recent years, Russia has been regularly targeted by attacks claimed by the Islamic State (IS). In March, the attack in a concert hall, the Crocus City Hall, in the suburbs of Moscow, left 140 dead. Three months later, on June 16, several ISIS members were killed after taking two prison officers hostage in a prison in southern Russia, according to authorities.

The country faced an Islamist rebellion in the early 2000s, a movement born from the first conflict against separatist Chechnya in 1994-1996. Nearly 4,500 Russians, particularly from the Caucasus, have since fought alongside IS in Iraq and Syria, according to official figures.

In October 2023, anti-Israeli riots broke out at Makhachkala airport. A crowd of men had invaded its tarmac when a plane from Israel landed, amid tensions linked to the war between Israel and Hamas.