Professional-Kremlin media appeared to minimize a declare from Al Azaim Media, a Russian-language channel related to the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, which posted an announcement late Sunday that the assault was carried out in response to requires assaults on behalf of the Islamic State group, or ISIS.
Dagestan governor Sergei Melikov mentioned that six suspects have been killed throughout the operation.
“Our current name didn’t maintain us ready lengthy,” the Al Azaim publish mentioned. “Our brothers from the Caucasus tell us that they’re nonetheless sturdy. They confirmed what they’re able to.”
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Dagestan has skilled some unrest apparently tied to Israel’s battle on Hamas in Gaza.
In October, lots of of individuals stormed the Makhachkala airport seeking Jewish air passengers arriving on a flight from Tel Aviv.
On the time, Russian International Ministry officers claimed with out proof that Ukraine performed “a direct and key function” within the October airport riot, calling it a “provocation” orchestrated from outdoors Russia.
In March, gunmen with alleged ties to the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, attacked the Crocus Metropolis Corridor live performance venue on the outskirts of Moscow, killing 145 individuals. On the time, Russian safety officers additionally implicated Ukraine, and the Kremlin disputed Washington’s account that U.S. intelligence had shared a selected warning forward of that assault.
Whereas Russia’s lethal battle in Ukraine overshadows nearly all different occasions in Russia today, some officers cautioned towards seeing Kyiv’s hand in each incident.
If each terrorist assault is “blamed on the intrigues of Ukraine and NATO, this pink fog will lead us to large issues,” Russian senator Dmitry Rogozin mentioned.
On Sunday, gunmen opened hearth at a number of areas within the two cities, together with the Church of Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Derbent, the place a priest, Nikolai Kotelnikov, 66, was killed. Additionally they attacked the town’s solely synagogue, which was apparently empty on the time.
However even earlier than native and nationwide regulation enforcement had gained management over the violence on Sunday, officers have been already blaming the USA and Ukraine.
An area lawmaker, Abdulkarim Gadzhiev, blamed Sunday’s assault on “the particular companies of Ukraine and NATO nations.” The professional-Kremlin head of the Liberal Democratic Celebration of Russia, Leonid Slutsky, who heads the international affairs committee within the State Duma, Russia’s decrease home of parliament, blamed “outdoors forces” aiming to divide Russians and “sow panic.”
Valentina Matviyenko, the top of the Federation Council, the higher chamber, referred to as the assaults “a tragedy” deliberate outdoors Russia.
“The tragedy in Dagestan is a fully cynical and thoroughly deliberate provocation from overseas,” Matviyenko mentioned, including that Russian safety companies would determine these behind the assaults and swiftly “clear out extremist cells.”
An area official, Magomed Omarov, head of the Sergokala district of Dagestan, was arrested after two of his sons allegedly took half within the assaults. Each have been killed by regulation enforcement officers.
The top of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, referred to as for a full inquiry into Sunday’s assaults. The Investigative Committee mentioned the assailants have been recognized, in line with Tass, a state information company.
Greater than two dozen others have been injured within the assaults, which seemed to be coordinated.
Russia has skilled intermittent assaults by declared associates of ISIS.
Earlier this month, two prisoners who pledged allegiance to ISIS took two jail guards hostage at a detention middle in Russia’s southern Rostov area. Russian authorities ended the jail siege rapidly, killing the hostage-takers and liberating the captives.
In earlier years, 1000’s of Dagestanis left Russia to struggle for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria — an exodus apparently inspired by the Kremlin. Nonetheless, lots of finally have been introduced again to serve jail sentences after ISIS was defeated by a U.S.-led coalition.
The Islamic State has continued to say assaults inside Russia, together with a lethal assault on a preferred Moscow live performance venue in March. At the least 137 individuals have been killed within the worst terrorist assault to hit the nation in 20 years.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday rejected a suggestion that Islamist militancy may very well be surging in Dagestan. “Society is consolidated, and the sort of prison conduct that we noticed yesterday in Dagestan just isn’t supported by society, both in Russia or in Dagestan,” Peskov mentioned.
In an additional signal of deep tensions between Moscow and Washington, a number of Russian officers together with the deputy head of the Safety Council, former president Dmitry Medvedev, linked the Dagestan assault to a Ukrainian missile strike Sunday on occupied Crimea, which killed 4 civilians together with two kids.
Peskov accused the USA on Monday of being answerable for the assault on Crimea, saying that this “should have penalties.”
Russia’s Ministry of Protection reported that it shot down 5 Military Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles equipped to Ukraine by the USA. It mentioned the missiles have been fired at Crimea on Sunday.
The ministry mentioned one of many missiles exploded over the town of Sevastopol after deviating from its flight path when it was intercepted by Russian air defenses.
With out offering proof, the Protection Ministry claimed that each one ATACMS targets are decided by the U.S. army.
Russia’s International Ministry on Monday summoned U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy to register a proper criticism about “the focused Ukrainian missile strike on Sevastopol that triggered quite a few casualties, together with kids.”
Peskov described the Crimea assault as “completely barbaric” and blamed the USA and Europe.
“Simply final week, the president repeatedly spoke about who’s pointing technologically subtle missiles at targets, that it’s not Ukrainians,” Peskov mentioned. “It’s clear who offers these launches.”
He referred to as on journalists to “ask my colleagues in Europe, and in Washington specifically, ask press secretaries why their governments are killing Russian kids. Simply ask them this easy query.”
Peskov, talking in his every day convention name with journalists, didn’t touch upon what actions Russia would take, however he pointed to earlier threats from President Vladimir Putin to produce missiles to nations unfriendly to the USA.
Peskov mentioned Russia is revising its nuclear doctrine — which presently states that Russia could use nuclear weapons if its existence is threatened or in retaliation for a nuclear assault — to account for “immediately’s realities.”
Final week, whereas visiting North Korea and Vietnam, Putin mentioned Moscow was “fascinated with” revising the doctrine. Putin additionally threatened to produce Russian arms to North Korea in retaliation for Western arms provides to Ukraine.
The West “provides weapons to Ukraine, saying: ‘We aren’t in management right here, so the way in which Ukraine makes use of them is none of our enterprise,’” Putin mentioned. “Why shouldn’t we undertake the identical place and say that we provide one thing to anyone however haven’t any management over what occurs afterward? Allow them to give it some thought.”
Natalia Abbakumova in Riga, Latvia, contributed to this report.
