Dagestan in Mourning: Deadliest Militant Rampage Strikes Russia in Months

Russia's Dagestan region mourns after militants killed 19 individuals, mostly police, in coordinated attacks. The violence, linked to Islamic extremists, marks the deadliest incident since March. The militants targeted houses of worship before being killed. The Kremlin attempts to connect the unrest to Ukraine, albeit without evidence.

Russia's southern region of Dagestan held the first of three days of mourning on Monday following a rampage by Islamic militants who killed 19 people, most of them police, and attacked houses of worship in apparently coordinated assaults in two cities.

Sunday's violence was the latest blamed on Islamic extremists in the predominantly Muslim region in the North Caucasus. This incident is the most deadly in Russia since March when gunmen opened fire at a concert in suburban Moscow, killing 145 people.

The March attack was claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State group, but no entity has taken responsibility for Sunday's attacks in Dagestan's regional capital of Makhachkala and nearby Derbent, both near the Caspian Sea.

Dagestan Governor Sergei Melikov blamed members of Islamic "sleeper cells" directed from abroad but did not provide further details. He stated in a video that the assailants aimed at "sowing panic and fear" and linked the attack to Moscow's military actions in Ukraine, without offering evidence.

President Vladimir Putin had also attempted to connect the March attack to Ukraine, despite the Islamic State's claim of responsibility and Kyiv's denial of involvement.

The Investigative Committee, Russia's top criminal investigation agency, reported that all five attackers were killed. Out of the 19 victims, 15 were police officers.

Among those killed was Rev. Nikolai Kotelnikov, a 66-year-old Russian Orthodox priest, who was murdered in a church in Derbent. The attackers also set fire to the church and the Kele-Numaz synagogue in Derbent.

Right after the attacks in Derbent, militants fired at a police post in Makhachkala and attacked another Russian Orthodox Church and a synagogue before being tracked down and killed by special forces.

Reports indicate that the attackers included the relatives of Magomed Omarov, head of United Russia's regional branch in Dagestan. Omarov was detained for interrogation and subsequently dismissed from the party.

Dagestan has historically witnessed near-daily militant attacks, but the region has seen less violence in recent years. However, extremist sentiments persist, highlighted by a rampage at an airport targeting passengers from Israel in October. The Kremlin's portrayal of harmonious coexistence among ethnic and religious groups in Russia is increasingly under scrutiny.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)