Horror in Russia’s Dagestan after terrorists killed 15 people, including a famous Orthodox priest – Firstpost

Russia witnessed another terrorist attack on Sunday after gunmen opened fire on places of worship in two towns in Russia’s southernmost province of Dagestan. The gruesome attack left at least 15 police officers, an Orthodox priest and an unknown number of civilians dead.

After the authorities calmed the situation in the region, Sergei Melikov, head of state of the Republic of Dagestan, announced that at least six “militants” had been killed in the attacks on churches, synagogues and police stations in Derbent and the regional capital Makhachkala. CNN reported.

Recent videos of the incident reflect the chaos that erupted after the attack and how authorities handled the matter.

The videos show the horror

Videos circulating on the Internet show the gunmen storming the church grounds and even indiscriminately shooting at cars parked nearby.

The bearded gunmen were dressed all in black and caused great chaos in the city. Another video circulating is the bodycam footage showing the Russian authorities’ initial response to the matter.

The footage shows police getting out of their cars with assault rifles and chasing the terrorists who have wreaked havoc in the region. Several other videos show burning churches and synagogues.

Terrorists slit the throat of a prominent priest

It is important to note that Dagestan is home to a small Christian minority and an even smaller Jewish population. According to the chairman of the Dagestani Public Monitoring Commission, Shamil Khadulaev, the priest killed in the attack was identified as Father Nikolai Kotelnikov.

“They cut his throat. He was 66 years old and very sick,” Khadulaev told the media. According to the Washington Post, the priest was killed in the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary in Derbent. The identity of the attackers has yet to be established and so far no terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Investigative Directorate of the Russian Investigative Committee for the Republic of Dagestan announced that it had launched a terrorist investigation into the attacks in accordance with the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

“All circumstances of the incident and the persons involved in the terrorist attacks are being investigated and their actions are being legally evaluated,” the agency said in a statement.

With inputs from agencies.

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