Nineteen dead following attacks in Russian republic

Nineteen police officers, several civilians and six gunmen have been killed following attacks in Dagestan yesterday (23 June).

In the northern Caucasus region of Russia, the apparently coordinated attacks targeted the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala on the Orthodox festival of Pentecost.

The attacks were targeted at police posts, churches and a synagogue.

The republic's head, Sergei Melikov, announced that three days of mourning would begin today.

The gunmen have not yet been officially identified, but the BBC reported that in a video on Telegram, Melikov said their attack had been prepared abroad and that Dagestan was now directly involved in Russia's war in Ukraine.

He said: "We understand who is behind the organisation of the terrorist attacks and what goal they pursued."

Russian news agencies reported on Monday morning that the counter-terrorism operation launched after the attacks had now come to an end.