Dagestan on High Alert After Reports of Armed Man in Makhachkala Amid Recent Violence

Dagestan’s Makhachkala was temporarily put on high alert following reports of an armed man, days after coordinated attacks in the region killed 20 people.

Bollywood Fever: Russia’s Dagestan region was temporarily placed on high alert late on Tuesday after reports emerged of an armed man in Makhachkala, one of the cities recently hit by violent attacks. Over the weekend, gunmen killed 20 people in coordinated assaults on religious sites in Makhachkala and Derbent, two of Dagestan’s most significant cities.

Police in Makhachkala conducted extensive checks on several streets, urging residents to avoid the area following reports of an armed individual in one of the city’s squares. The RIA state news agency, citing Gayana Garieva, a spokeswoman for the region’s internal affairs ministry, reported the situation was eventually deemed calm and the initial reports were not confirmed.

Garieva stated, “Everything is calm,” indicating that the presence of an armed man had not been verified. Subsequently, a representative of the ministry informed TASS state news agency that the police had lifted the cordon around University Square in Makhachkala’s center after a couple of hours. Nevertheless, police continued to carry out further checks and stop suspicious vehicles.

The heightened alert comes in the wake of deadly coordinated attacks on churches and synagogues in the predominantly Muslim region on Sunday. These brazen assaults resulted in the deaths of 20 people across Makhachkala and Derbent. The Russian investigative committee reported that 15 policemen and four civilians were among the dead, including an Orthodox priest. Dagestan’s healthcare ministry noted that 46 more individuals were wounded in the attacks.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the weekend’s violence. The attacks have left the region on edge, with security forces on high alert as they continue to investigate and secure the affected areas.

The recent events underscore the volatility in Dagestan, where tensions and sporadic violence have persisted, posing significant challenges to the region’s stability and security.

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