At Least 20 Killed in Coordinated Attacks on Synagogues and Orthodox Churches in Dagestan, Russia

Derbent, Makhachkala, Republic of Dagestan Russian Federation
At least 15 law enforcement officers were among those killed. A Russian Orthodox priest was also killed and one of the Orthodox churches in Makhachkala was set ablaze.
At least 20 people were killed and several more were injured in coordinated attacks on synagogues and Orthodox churches in Derbent and Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia on June 26, 2024.
Multiple gunmen used automatic weapons to attack synagogues and Russian Orthodox churches.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks yet, but ISIS-K praised the assault and called it a response to their call.
The attacks follow a pattern of extremist violence that has plagued Dagestan for years. The region is Russia's most diverse but volatile regions with over 30 recognized ethnic groups and 13 local languages granted special status alongside Russian. About 95% of the population identifies as Muslim, but the region also has long-standing Christian and Jewish communities.
At Least 20 Killed in Coordinated Attacks on Synagogues and Orthodox Churches in Dagestan, Russia

In the southern Russian region of Dagestan, at least 20 people were killed and several more were injured in a series of coordinated attacks on synagogues and Orthodox churches in Derbent and Makhachkala on June 26, 2024. The attacks came less than three months after an attack by gunmen from an Islamic State splinter group at a Moscow-area concert hall killed 145 people and injured hundreds.

According to reports, multiple gunmen opened fire on synagogues and Russian Orthodox churches in Derbent and Makhachkala using automatic weapons. In Derbent, a Volkswagen Polo was used by the suspects in the attack and was seen fleeing the scene. In Makhachkala, terrorists targeted two more synagogues and two Russian Orthodox churches.

At least 15 law enforcement officers were among those killed in the attacks. A Russian Orthodox priest was also killed in Makhachkala, and one of the Orthodox churches there was set ablaze. Following the attacks on houses of worship, a long gun battle erupted between police and the suspects in Makhachkala, resulting in at least six militants being killed.

The attacks follow a pattern of extremist violence that has plagued Dagestan for years. The region is Russia's most diverse but volatile regions with over 30 recognized ethnic groups and 13 local languages granted special status alongside Russian. About 95% of the population identifies as Muslim, but the region also has long-standing Christian and Jewish communities.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks yet, but ISIS-K, the Russian branch of the Islamic State splinter group, praised the assault and called it a response to their call. The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal probe into 'acts of terror'.

Sergei Melikov, the Kremlin-appointed head of the Republic of Dagestan, called the attacks an attempt to tear apart unity in Dagestan.

The attacks come amid heightened tensions between Russia and its neighbors over Ukraine and NATO expansion. Some Russian officials have blamed external forces for the violence in Dagestan, but there is no evidence to support these claims.


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Confidence

95%

Doubts
  • It is unclear if there is any evidence to support claims that external forces are involved.
  • No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks yet.

Sources

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Putin Party Member’s Kids Suspected in Dagestan Terror Attack

The Daily Beast Full Legal Name: IACI (NASDAQ: IACI) About Us URL:➆https://www.thedailybeast.com/company/about-us➉ Shannon Vavra Tuesday, 25 June 2024 22:06
  • Unique Points
    • Magomed Omarov, a prominent politician in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, had his sons and nephews involved in a deadly attack in Dagestan.
    • Five suspects were killed or ‘eliminated’, including Magomed Omarov’s sons Osman Omarov and Ali Zakarigaev, and nephew Abdusamad Amadziev.
  • Accuracy
    • Magomed Omarov's sons and nephews were involved in the attacks.
    • Five suspects were killed or 'eliminated', including Magomed Omarov's sons Osman Omarov and Ali Zakarigaev, and nephew Abdusamad Amadziev.
    • At least 20 people were killed in the attacks.
    • ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attacks.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

81%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

In Russia, Dagestan mourns and suspicions mount after deadly attacks

National Public Radio (NPR) Charles Maynes Tuesday, 25 June 2024 00:00
  • Unique Points
    • Armed assailants launched attacks on a Jewish synagogue, two Orthodox Christian churches and a police station in Dagestan’s capital Makhachkala and the coastal city of Derbent.
    • At least 20 people were killed, most of them police officers.
    • The attacks happened less than three months after gunmen from an Islamic State splinter group stormed a Moscow concert hall, killing 145 people and injuring hundreds.
    • Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal probe into ‘acts of terror’.
    • Sergei Melikov, the Kremlin-appointed head of the Republic of Dagestan, called the attacks an attempt to tear apart unity in Dagestan.
    • The gunmen set fire to an icon in Makhachkala and killed an elderly priest in Derbent during Orthodox Christian holiday of Pentecost.
    • Five attackers were reportedly killed by security forces.
    • ISIS-K, the Russian branch of the Islamic State splinter group, praised the assault and called it a response to their call.
  • Accuracy
    • ISIS-K praised the assault and called it a response to their call.
  • Deception (30%)
    The article contains several instances of editorializing and sensationalism. The author makes statements implying the Russian government's inability to address domestic threats due to their focus on Ukraine, which is an opinion not based on facts. The author also mentions conspiracy theories without providing evidence or disclosing that they are unsubstantiated theories.
    • Several Kremlin allies and avowed Russian nationalists have provided their own theories. Abdulkhakim Gadzhiev, Dagestan’s representative to the Duma, said in an interview to state TV channel Russia 24, ‘It’s because we’re having so much success on all fronts on the battlefield, they had to try and undermine our country from within.’ Alexander Sladkov, one of a group of nationalist war correspondents who have gained notoriety on social media amid the conflict in Ukraine, wrote, ‘It’s a Western investment in an underground war.’ None provided evidence of any Western involvement.
    • To government critics, though, the events in Dagestan appeared to be the latest security lapse by a Kremlin too distracted over its war in Ukraine to see emerging extremist threats at home.
    • The Russian reactions recalled the government’s response to the deadly attack on the Crocus City concert hall in Moscow in March. ISIS-K immediately claimed responsibility for the carnage. A bouquet of flowers inserted into the road fence in front of the burnt Crocus City Hall on the western outskirts of Moscow, on March 27, after an attack by ISIS-K killed 145 people and injured hundreds more.
    • The author states 'Several Kremlin allies and avowed Russian nationalists have provided their own theories' without disclosing that these are unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The author makes several appeals to authority and uses inflammatory rhetoric. He quotes several individuals making accusations without providing evidence, which could be considered a fallacy of hasty generalization if taken out of context. However, since the author is not making these assertions himself but rather reporting on them, it is important to note that he is not committing these fallacies. Instead, he is simply relaying information from various sources. Therefore, while there are some potential fallacies present in the article, they do not originate from the author and should not be attributed to him.
    • ][Dagestan’s representative to the Duma] Abdulkhakim Gadzhiev said in an interview to state TV channel Russia 24, ‘It’s because we’re having so much success on all fronts on the battlefield, they had to try and undermine our country from within.’[[/],
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

75%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

After attack in Dagestan, Russian officials minimize Islamic State claim

The Fixing Site: A Summary of the Article. Francesca Ebel, Monday, 24 June 2024 12:40
  • Unique Points
    • At least 20 people were killed in terrorist attacks on Sunday in Dagestan, Russia.
    • The attacks occurred at a police post, a synagogue and Orthodox churches in Makhachkala and Derbent.
    • Six suspects were killed during the operation to apprehend the attackers.
    • Dagestan has experienced unrest tied to Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza.
    • Thousands of Dagestanis left Russia to fight for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, but hundreds were brought back to serve prison sentences after its defeat.
  • Accuracy
    • ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attacks.
  • Deception (30%)
    The article contains selective reporting and emotional manipulation. The authors focus on the claims made by Russian officials minimizing the Islamic State's involvement in the attacks, while omitting any mention of Al Azaim Media's claim that the attack was carried out in response to calls for attacks on behalf of ISIS. This is a lie by omission. Additionally, phrases like 'absolutely cynical and carefully planned provocation from abroad,' 'swiftly clean out extremist cells,' and 'ask press secretaries why their governments are killing Russian children' are emotionally manipulative.
    • A local lawmaker, Abdulkarim Gadzhiev, blamed Sunday’s attack on ‘the special services of Ukraine and NATO countries.’ The pro-Kremlin head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Leonid Slutsky, who heads the foreign affairs committee in the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, blamed ‘Outside forces’ aiming to divide Russians and ‘sow panic.’ Valentina Matviyenko, the head of the Federation Council, the upper chamber, called the attacks a ‘tragedy planned outside Russia.’
    • Peskov described the Crimea attack as ‘absolutely barbaric’ and blamed the United States and Europe.
    • The gunmen opened fire at several locations in the two cities, including the Church of Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Derbent, where a priest, Nikolai Kotelnikov, 66, was killed. They also attacked the city’s only synagogue.
    • In a further sign of deep tensions between Moscow and Washington, several Russian officials including the deputy head of the Security Council, former president Dmitry Medvedev, linked the Dagestan attack to a Ukrainian missile strike Sunday on occupied Crimea.
    • But even before local and national law enforcement had gained control over the violence on Sunday, officials were already blaming the United States and Ukraine.
  • Fallacies (80%)
    The authors make an appeal to authority when they quote Russian officials and pro-Kremlin figures blaming external forces, specifically Ukraine and NATO, for the terrorist attacks in Dagestan without providing any evidence. They also use inflammatory rhetoric by describing the attacks as 'absolutely barbaric' and calling on journalists to ask Western governments why they are 'killing Russian children'.
    • “Our recent call did not keep us waiting long,” Al Azaim post
    • “The tragedy in Dagestan is an absolutely cynical and carefully planned provocation from abroad,” Valentina Matviyenko
  • Bias (80%)
    The authors blame external forces, including Ukraine and NATO, for the terrorist attacks in Dagestan without providing any evidence. They also play down a claim from Al Azaim Media that the attack was carried out in response to calls for attacks on behalf of the Islamic State organization. The authors do not provide any counter-evidence or alternative explanations, and their language implies that Ukraine and NATO are responsible for the attacks without justification.
    • Pro-Kremlin media appeared to play down a claim from Al Azaim Media, a Russian-language channel associated with the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, which posted a statement late Sunday that the attack was carried out in response to calls for attacks on behalf of the Islamic State organization...
      • Russian lawmakers on Monday quickly blamed external forces, including Ukraine and NATO, for terrorist attacks on Sunday that killed at least 20 people in Dagestan...
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      98%

      The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
      (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

      A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

      20 killed, including police officers, as attacks launched on synagogues, Orthodox churches in southern Russia: Officials

      ABC NEWS SITE NAMES Name: ABC News Site Names URL: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-officially-blames-iran_106834435 ABC News Wednesday, 26 June 2024 04:31
      • Unique Points
        • At least 20 people, including 15 law enforcement officers, have been killed in coordinated terrorist attacks on synagogues and Orthodox churches in Derbent and Makhachkala, Dagestan region.
        • Multiple gunmen opened fire on a synagogue and a Russian Orthodox church in Derbent using automatic weapons.
        • A Volkswagen Polo was used by the suspects in the Derbent attack and was seen fleeing the scene.
        • In Makhachkala, terrorists targeted two more synagogues and two Russian Orthodox churches.
      • Accuracy
        • At least 20 people, including 15 law enforcement officers, have been killed in coordinated terrorist attacks on synagogues and Orthodox churches in Derbent and Makhachkala.
        • ,
      • Deception (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Fallacies (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Bias (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      83%

      The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
      (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

      A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

      Dagestan, in southern Russia, has a history of violence. Why does it keep happening?

      The Associated Press News Monday, 24 June 2024 15:33
      • Unique Points
        • Five gunmen attacked Orthodox churches and synagogues in Makhachkala and Derbent, killing at least 20 people.
        • No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks yet.
        • Dagestan is Russia’s most diverse but volatile regions with over 30 recognized ethnic groups and 13 local languages granted special status alongside Russian.
        • About 95% of the population identifies as Muslim, but the region also has long-standing Christian and Jewish communities.
      • Accuracy
        • At least five gunmen were killed in Makhachkala during simultaneous attacks on a church, synagogue and traffic police post.
        • Activists in Russia claim ethnic minorities are serving in Ukraine disproportionately, leading to protests and riots at Makhachkala airport targeting a flight from Israel.
        • Several factors contribute to the unrest in Dagestan including sympathizers to the Ukrainian cause and long-term trend of youth radicalization.
      • Deception (50%)
        The article makes editorializing statements and raises questions that imply the author's opinion. The author also uses emotional manipulation by describing the violence in detail and implying fear towards the situation in Dagestan. Additionally, there is selective reporting as not all causes of violence are mentioned, only those that support the author's position.
        • But the region remains restive. Activists in Russia say ethnic minorities are serving in Ukraine in disproportionate numbers, and videos circulated in October 2022 of protests in Dagestan over complaints that its population was providing more recruits than elsewhere.
        • The large-scale and coordinated assault raises difficult questions for the Russian authorities about continued security lapses, especially after an attack claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State group at a Moscow-area concert hall in March killed 145 people.
        • This weekend, there was more bloodshed.
      • Fallacies (75%)
        The article contains a few informal fallacies in the form of overgeneralizations and essentializing. It states that “no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks”, which is not a fallacy but an unclear statement. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing Dagestan's history of violence, stating it is “blighted by violence” and “heavy with extremist attacks.” Additionally, the article quotes activists who claim that ethnic minorities are serving in Ukraine disproportionately. This statement essentializes the ethnic groups involved and implies a false cause fallacy by suggesting that their minority status is the reason for their service in Ukraine.
        • The large-scale and coordinated assault raises difficult questions for the Russian authorities about continued security lapses, especially after an attack claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State group at a Moscow-area concert hall in March killed 145 people.
        • Dagestan, which sits in the North Caucasus between Chechnya and the Caspian Sea, is known as one of Russia’s most diverse — but volatile — regions.
        • The history of violence in Dagestan can be traced back to the early 2000s when militant insurgents taking part in separatist wars in neighboring Chechnya were pushed into the region as a result of pressure from Russian security forces and iron-fisted Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
        • Activists in Russia say ethnic minorities are serving in Ukraine in disproportionate numbers, and videos circulated in October 2022 of protests in Dagestan over complaints that its population was providing more recruits than elsewhere.
      • Bias (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication