As the death toll of Sunday’s terrorist attacks on churches and synagogues in the Russian Republic of Dagestan rose to at least 20 on Monday, a three-day mourning period was declared and condolences poured in worldwide.
Islamic terrorists killed at least 15 policemen, who were named by the Russian Interior Ministry, as well as a security guard, a priest, and several civilians when they attacked two churches, two synagogues, and a police traffic post in Makhachkala and Derbent. According to Dagestan’s health ministry, 46 more people were wounded.
The Russian Orthodox Church said that Father Nikolai Kotelnikov of the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin in Derbent was “brutally killed” when the radicals slit his throat. An icon at the church and the Kele-Numaz Synagogue were set on fire.
The synagogue was also attacked in Makhachkala, where gun battles erupted around the Assumption Cathedral and a police traffic post. Footage showed residents running for cover as plumes of smoke rose above the city. Dagestan Governor Sergey Melikov said on Telegram that during his visit to the site, he learned that the terrorists had set fire to cars, and bullet marks were visible on windows and gates.
No Jewish residents were reported killed by Russian Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar.
At least five attackers were killed; local media showed some who were shot dead on the pavement. TASS reported that two terrorists were killed in Derbent and three in Makhachkala, but Melikov said that six had been killed. While authorities were still searching for “sleeper cells,” according to Melikov, there was no claim of responsibility by Monday evening. Melikov said that they “understand who is behind the organization of the terrorist attacks and what goal they pursued.”
Melikov claimed that foreign forces were involved in preparing the attack, but he gave no details.
Dagestan Governor visits the ruins of the attacks
Dagestan’s Sergokalinsky District head Magomed Omarov was arrested after his sons were identified as participants in the attack, according to TASS. N12 reported that former mixed martial arts fighter Gadzimurad Kagirov was identified as one of the dead terrorists.
Melikov visited the Derbent church and synagogue and promised that the authorities would aid in the latter’s rebuilding. He ordered that June 24 to 26 be days of national mourning, that state flags be flown at half mast, and that all entertainment events and programming be canceled.
“This is an attempt to cleave apart our unity,” Melikov said on Telegram.
Also on Telegram, Makhachkala Mayor Yusup Umavov said that the crime was aimed at destabilizing the region. The Dagnistan Muftiate said that the attacks were inconsistent with Islam and that “the radicals want to pit us against each other with all their might and burn interfaith bridges. But they won’t succeed.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to those who lost loved ones.
The Kremlin said that Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev called Putin to offer condolences and support.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s spokesman said that he condemned the attacks “in the strongest terms.” “The Secretary-General conveys his condolences to the bereaved families and the people and the Government of the Russian Federation and wishes those injured a speedy recovery,” said Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric.
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill said that he mourned those killed in the “barbaric terrorist attack” and accused the radical attackers of “seeking to sow the seeds of hatred and discord between representatives of different nationalities, cultures, and religions.”
Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oren Marmorstein offered his condolences to the Russian people and wished a quick recovery to the wounded.
“Terror must be condemned and fought globally,” Marmorstein said on X on Monday. “Terrorism must not be tolerated!”
Exiled former Moscow chief Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, said that his prayers were with the victims. He blamed the Russian government for failing to prevent what he said was another ISIS attack.
“Reports that ISIS is responsible for this heinous attack is once again proof that Russian law enforcement authorities, instead of using their resources to fight ISIS and terrorism, have abused their resources to repress and kill peaceful citizens who were against the war,” said Goldschmidt.