Death toll rises to 20 in series of attacks in Russia's Dagestan

Attacks on places of worship stoke fears of a renewed militant Islamist threat in Russia

The death toll from a series of brazen attacks on churches and synagogues in Russia’s mainly Muslim region of Dagestan rose to 20 on June 24 after gunmen went on the rampage in coordinated attacks in two of the republic’s most important cities.

Gunmen with automatic weapons burst into an Orthodox church and a synagogue in the ancient city of Derbent in the evening on June 23, setting fire to an icon at the church and killing 66-year-old Orthodox priest Nikolai Kotelnikov.

In the city of Makhachkala, about 125km north on the Caspian Sea shore, attackers shot at a traffic police post and attacked a church.

Gun battles erupted around the Assumption Cathedral in Makhachkala and heavy automatic gunfire rang out late into the night.

Footage showed residents running through the city to seek cover as plumes of smoke rose above the city.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Earlier, Russia’s investigative committee said 15 policemen and four civilians were killed. According to Dagestan’s healthcare ministry, 46 more people were wounded.