Even by its own standards of wildness and restlessness, what happened in the Republic of Dagestan on Sunday stands among the most brazen atrocities in the Russian Federation since the Soviet Union’s collapse. Gunmen mounted what appear to have been coordinated attacks in Dagestan’s capital, Makhachkala, and the historic Caspian city of Derbent, targeting Orthodox churches and synagogues. They killed more than 20 people, including 15 police officers and an Orthodox priest. The Russian authorities immediately designated the attacks as acts of terrorism.
