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The Russian republic of Dagestan is in mourning after a series of coordinated attacks by armed militants left at least 19 people dead, including more than 15 police officers, several civilians, and an Orthodox priest. These tragic events come just three months after a deadly attack on a concert hall near Moscow.

The violence erupted on Sunday in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala. In Derbent, attackers opened fire on a synagogue and a church, setting both buildings ablaze. Simultaneously, a police checkpoint and another church in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, were also targeted. Videos shared on social media depicted the city’s skies filled with smoke and flames.

The Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee swiftly classified the incidents as acts of terrorism and launched an anti-terror operation. According to Dagestan’s Governor Sergei Melikov, the situation is now under control. Authorities have reported that six of the suspected terrorists were killed during the operation. Melikov assured that the investigation would continue until all those involved are identified.

Governor Melikov declared three days of mourning, with flags flying at half-mast and the cancellation of all entertainment events across the region. “This is a day of tragedy for Dagestan and the entire country,” he stated in a video address.

The Russian Orthodox Church confirmed the brutal killing of Archpriest Nikolai Kotelnikov in Derbent. Meanwhile, Dagestan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that 19 people who had taken shelter inside a church in Makhachkala were safely evacuated.

The attackers have been linked to an “international terrorist organization,” according to Russian law enforcement. Although the identities of the perpetrators are still being established, reports suggest involvement by groups with connections to the Islamic State.

The attacks are reminiscent of an earlier tragedy when gunmen attacked a rock concert in the Crocus City Hall near Moscow, killing 145 people. That incident, claimed by the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), led to the arrest of four suspects in Dagestan.

Dagestan, located in Russia’s North Caucasus, has experienced periodic violence over the years, though it never reached the intensity of neighboring Chechnya’s conflicts in the 1990s and early 2000s. Recent years have seen a decline in such violence, making this coordinated attack on civilian religious infrastructure particularly shocking.

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