More than 15 police officers and several civilians, including an Orthodox priest, were killed by armed militants in Russia’s southern Dagestan republic on Sunday, according to a video statement by its governor Sergei Melikov early Monday, June 24, 2024.

The militants targeted two Orthodox churches, a synagogue, and a police post in two cities, authorities reported.

Russia’s National Anti-Terrorist Committee classified the attacks in this predominantly Muslim region, known for its history of armed insurgency, as acts of terrorism.

Monday through Wednesday were declared days of mourning in the region.

Dagestan’s Interior Ministry stated that a group of armed men attacked a synagogue and a church in the city of Derbent on the Caspian Sea. Both buildings caught fire, according to state media. Around the same time, attacks were reported on a church and a traffic police post in Makhachkala, Dagestan’s capital.

Authorities initiated a counter-terrorist operation in the region. The Anti-Terrorist Committee announced that five gunmen were “eliminated,” while the governor mentioned that six “bandits” had been “liquidated.” The discrepancy in these numbers couldn’t be immediately resolved, and the exact number of militants involved remained unclear.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but a criminal investigation has been launched on charges of terrorism. Russian state news agency Tass reported that a Dagestani official was detained due to his sons’ alleged involvement in the attacks.