Gunmen kill 6 police officers and priest in Russia's Dagestan

The attacks took place in Makhachkala, Dagestan's largest city, and the coastal city of Derbent. Russia's Investigative Committee has launched criminal investigations into "acts of terror."

Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region bordering Georgia and Azerbaijan, has seen sporadic violence. The National Antiterrorism Committee stated that the armed attacks targeted two Orthodox churches, a synagogue, and a police checkpoint.

"As a result of the terrorist attacks, according to preliminary information, a priest from the Russian Orthodox Church and police officers were killed," the committee reported to RIA Novosti news agency.

The spokeswoman for Dagestan's interior ministry, Gayana Gariyeva, confirmed that six police officers were killed and another 12 wounded in the attacks. A 66-year-old priest was among those killed in Derbent, Gariyeva added.

Boruch Gorin, chairman of the public council of Russia's Federation of Jewish Communities, reported that the synagogue in Derbent was set on fire, resulting in the deaths of a policeman and a security guard. He noted that the synagogue in Makhachkala had also been set ablaze and burned down. During the attack on the Orthodox church in Derbent, the priest's throat was cut.

Dagestan's leader, Sergei Melikov, condemned the attacks on Telegram, stating: "This evening in Derbent and Makhachkala unknown attackers made attempts to destabilize the situation in society. They were confronted by Dagestani police officers." (ILKHA)