Ahmad 
Investigations in the Republic of Dagestan revealed that a group of terrorists planned for a month to carry out a complex terrorist operation targeting Pastor Nikolai Kotelnikov along with others.
The perpetrators’ mobile phones were used to monitor their movements and targets, which also included churches and other religious centers.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia expressed his deep sorrow for the great loss resulting from these actions, stressing that terrorism threatens peace and targets religious harmony.
The Minister of Health, Tatiana Belyaeva, announced that 20 people were killed and 26 wounded as a result of a terrorist attack in the cities of Makhachkala and Derbent, which targeted churches and a police station, and resulted in the killing of several officers and civilians, including an Orthodox priest.
According to official sources, the attacks were carried out in high coordination, and following the attack, Sergei Melikov, the governor of the region, declared three days of mourning, stressing that the attack was a provocative act planned from abroad.
The Speaker of the Russian Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko, expressed her belief that the attack was aimed at destabilizing religious peace in the region.
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