Tuesday Briefing: Dagestan Attack Revives Terrorism Fears in Russia

At least 20 people were killed on Sunday in a seemingly coordinated assault in the Dagestan region of southern Russia. It was the deadliest attack in the area in 14 years.

The Russian authorities have designated the attack as an act of terror, but it was not immediately clear who was responsible. The gunmen targeted a police station as well as synagogues and Orthodox churches. Fifteen of the victims were police officers. One was an Orthodox priest, who was killed in his church. It is not known whether the attackers were specifically targeting members of law enforcement.

Five attackers were eventually killed by security forces, officials said.

The attack was reminiscent of the intense violence that gripped the Northern Caucasus, a predominantly Muslim region, in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That bloodshed was caused by a combination of Islamic fundamentalism and organized crime. Suppressing it became one of the central bragging points for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, after he came to power in 1999.

That legacy is now being threatened by a resurgence of violence. In March, four gunmen killed 145 people at a concert hall near Moscow. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack.

Analysis: The assault on Sunday has put a spotlight on the mounting challenges that Russia faces as the war in Ukraine taxes its economy and security apparatus.