A criminal investigation has been launched under anti-terrorism laws after gunmen killed 19 people in coordinated attacks in two cities in the restive region in the North Caucasus.
Russia's investigative committee said 15 law enforcement officers and four civilians, including a Russian Orthodox priest, were killed during the attacks in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala on Sunday evening. Two Orthodox churches, two synagogues and a police checkpoint were attacked.
Reuters reported that gunmen with automatic weapons had burst into an Orthodox church and a synagogue in the ancient city of Derbent, setting fire to an icon at the church and killing a 66-year-old Orthodox priest, Nikolai Kotelnikov.
The Russian Orthodox church said Kotelnikov had been "brutally killed" in the attack.
This story is from the June 25, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the June 25, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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