Three days of mourning began in Russia on Monday (June 24), after the death toll from a series of brazen attacks on churches and synagogues in the mainly Muslim region of Dagestan rose to at least 20. Gunmen had gone on a rampage in coordinated attacks in two of the republic's most important cities.

Republic of Dagestan

Russia has declared three days of mourning following a series of coordinated attacks on places of worship in the Dagestan region. The death toll has now reached at least 20 people. The assaults targeted an Orthodox church and synagogue in the cities of Derbent and Makachkala.

Governor Sergei Melikhov described the incidents as unprecedented in their cruelty. He indicated that foreign forces were involved in the planning, although he did not specify further. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility.

In Derbent, attackers killed 66-year-old Orthodox priest Nikolai Kotelnikov and set fire to an icon at the church. Meanwhile, in Makachkala, gun battles around the Assumption Cathedral resulted in the deaths of at least five attackers and several policemen. 

The largely Muslim region of Dagestan is known for its diverse ethnic and linguistic composition. The attacks have raised concerns about a renewed militant Islamist threat in Russia. President Vladimir Putin has expressed condolences to the victims' families through his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.



Russia mourns as Dagestan attack death toll rises

A day after a series of brazen attacks on places of worship in Russia's Dagestan, a synagogue continues to smolder. The mostly Muslim region announced three days of mourning on Monday after gunmen went on a rampage there in coordinated assaults on two of the republic's most important cities. The death toll has risen to at least 20. Here's Sergei Melikhov, the governor of the Dagestan region. Today has become a day of tragedy for Dagestan, and not only for Dagestan, but for our entire country. Unprecedented in their cruelty, terrorist attacks were committed today against religious sites in the capital of Dagestan, Makachkala, and our ancient city of Derbent. Melikhov added that authorities understand who is behind the organisation of the attacks, adding that foreign forces had been involved in preparing the assault. He did not give details, and there has been no immediate claim of responsibility. Attackers with automatic weapons burst into an Orthodox church and a synagogue in the ancient city of Derbent on Sunday evening. They set fire to an icon at the church and killed 66-year-old Orthodox priest Nikolai Kotelnikov. In the Caspian city of Makachkala, around 75 miles north, attackers shot at a traffic police post and attacked a church. Gun battles erupted around the Assumption Cathedral in Makachkala, with heavy automatic gunfire ringing out late into the night. At least five of the attackers were killed, and Russia's investigative committee said the majority of those dead were policemen. Dagestan is made up of a patchwork of ethnic groups, languages and regions that live in the shadow of the Caucasus Mountains between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. President Vladimir Putin, who has long accused the West of trying to stoke separatism in the area, expressed condolences to those who lost relatives via his spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The attack on Christian and Jewish places of worship has stoked fears Russia may be facing a renewed militant Islamist threat just three months after a deadly attack in Moscow. 145 people were killed at the Crocus concert hall in March. Islamic State claims responsibility for that attack.

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