Gunmen kill police officers and a priest in Russia’s Dagestan

Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan. Photographer: Olga Nikishin/Epsilon/Getty Images Europe

At least 15 police officers and a priest were killed as gunmen targeted churches and synagogues in the predominantly Muslim Russian region of Dagestan, the authorities said.

In the ancient city of Derbent, perpetrators set a synagogue on fire and attacked a Russian Orthodox church, while a traffic police post and another church and synagogue were targeted in the regional capital of Makhachkala.

Interfax reported the deaths of 15 officers and several civilians. The Russian Orthodox Church issued a statement confirming that the priest, Nikolay Kotelnikov, was killed in Derbent. Another 16 people were hospitalized, including 13 policemen.

The fighting had stopped, Dagestan leader Sergei Melikov said. Six militants were killed, he added, according to Interfax.

Extremist groups strike regularly in Dagestan but Sunday’s attacks stood out for their coordination and scale. Russian Telegram channels published several videos of men wearing black t-shirts shooting at police cars. Another video depicted a fire destroying a synagogue.

In October, an angry mob encircled a flight from Israel at Makhachkala airport in protest of Israel’s actions in its war against the militant group Hamas in Gaza. It took hours to restore order.