Terror Strikes Dagestan: Putin's Leadership Under Siege

Russia is reeling from another major terror attack, with at least 19 people killed and 25 injured in what appeared to be coordinated shootings at various places of worship in Russia’s southernmost Dagestan republic.

Photos show the aftermath of attacks at a synagogue in Derbent, Dagestan on June 23, 2024.

This is the second such incident in the past three months, following a devastating attack in March when over 130 people were killed at a concert hall near Moscow, an assault claimed by ISIS-K. These events challenge President Vladimir Putin’s self-declared reputation as a leader who can ensure order across his vast and turbulent country.

The surge in violence coincides with long-simmering ethnic tensions, exacerbated by efforts to bolster Russia’s military ranks as Putin’s war against Ukraine drags on and by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Unidentified gunmen opened fire at multiple places of worship and a police traffic stop in two cities in the Muslim-majority Dagestan, killing at least 15 police officers and four civilians, including a priest, on Sunday.

Two synagogues – one in the city of Derbent and another in Makhachkala – were attacked, according to the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC). In Derbent, attackers set the synagogue on fire using Molotov cocktails, killing police and security guards outside during the assault. In Makhachkala, a church security guard was killed in a shootout at Svyato-Uspenskiy Sobor, where 19 people locked themselves inside amid the attack. An attack was also reported at a police traffic post in Makhachkala.

No immediate claim of responsibility has been made, but law enforcement agencies suggested that the attackers were “adherents of an international terrorist organization.” The Investigative Committee of Russia for the Republic of Dagestan has launched a terror investigation into the attacks under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Dagestan, located in Russia’s Caucasus region on the western shores of the Caspian Sea, is a microcosm of Russia’s diversity. The mountainous region is home to over 30 ethnic groups with distinct languages, and it is a majority Muslim republic historically embracing a variety of Islamic religious practices. It also has a minuscule Jewish population, primarily Mountain Jews who speak a form of Persian. Despite centuries of coexistence with Muslim neighbors, the Jewish population has dwindled due to emigration.

The Caucasus, mostly absorbed into the Russian empire in the nineteenth century, has a long history of resentment towards Moscow's rule, during Tsarist, Soviet, and post-Soviet times. After the Soviet Union's collapse, insurgents in neighboring Chechnya fought two separatist wars for independence, labeled terrorism by Russia, which responded with brutal tactics that left much of Grozny in ruins. Putin installed feared warlord Ramzan Kadyrov in Chechnya, who now rules with an iron fist.

In Dagestan, Russian security forces fought an Islamist insurgency in the 2000s that spilled over from Chechnya, though attacks have become rarer in recent years. However, contemporary events have reignited tensions in the historically restless region.

Russia, home to over 200 ethnic minority communities spanning eleven time zones and approximately 144 million people, has seen ethnic minorities disproportionately affected by Putin’s war in Ukraine. Protests erupted in multiple ethnic minority regions in 2022 against Putin’s mobilization orders, including in Dagestan. In one notable video, women in Makhachkala pleaded with police, saying, “Why are you taking our children? Who attacked who? It’s Russia that attacked Ukraine.”

The war in Israel against Hamas, following the brutal October 7 attacks, has also escalated tensions globally, including in the Caucasus, fueled by daily images of destruction in Gaza. Putin has attempted a delicate balancing act, positioning himself as a potential mediator and calling for restraint on both sides, a stance that has earned praise from Hamas.

However, confidence was shaken later in October when antisemitic rioters stormed Dagestan’s Makhachkala Uytash Airport upon the arrival of a flight from Israel. At least 20 people were injured, and 60 were detained in the chaotic clashes. Multiple videos showed crowds inside the airport, some waving the Palestinian flag, others forcing their way through closed doors in the international terminal.

Former CNN Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty noted that interreligious violence is something Putin is “very, very worried” about. Russia's complex web of relationships in the Middle East includes backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, relying on Iran for drones to attack Ukraine, and maintaining cordial ties with Israeli counterparts, though relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have cooled.

The coordinated attacks in Dagestan come just weeks after Russia's worst terror attack in decades. In March, over 130 people were killed when assailants stormed a popular concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow. ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the massacre, and four gunmen from Tajikistan were charged with terrorism. The attack occurred shortly after Putin’s stage-managed election victory, which further tightened his grip on the country he has ruled since the turn of the century.

For a leader who has long promised security and stability to Russians, these major attacks on Russian soil are powerful blows. The emotions unleashed by these events, combined with disturbing videos, have fueled xenophobia towards Central Asian migrant workers. Migrants from Central Asian states like Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan have traditionally provided valuable cheap labor in Russia.

In the aftermath of the March attack, Putin called for unity, saying, “We must never forget that we are a multinational, multi-religious country. We must always treat our brothers, representatives of other faiths with respect, as we always do – Muslims, Jews, everyone.”

However, Sunday's attack in Dagestan reveals that deep fissures continue to mar Russia’s border regions.