Six police officers have been killed and 12 were wounded after gunmen opened fire in a series of shootings in Russia’s Dagestan region, its interior ministry says.
The attacks targeted a synagogue and an Orthodox church in Derbent as well as a police post later in Makhachkala.
A priest was also killed in the attacks, according to reports.
Two of the gunmen have reportedly been shot dead.
It was reported attackers were holed up in a building in Derbent, which police were preparing to storm.
A counter-terrorist operation is ongoing to search for gunmen in Makhachkala and Derbent, Russia’s national anti-terrorist committee said in a statement.
“Unidentified people fired at a synagogue and a church with automatic weapons,” Reuters reported the interior ministry said.
The synagogue and church were both set on fire, added the ministry.
The attackers then reportedly fled in a car.
There was later an exchange of gunfire at a police post in Makhachkala, about 125km (75 miles) to the north along the Caspian Sea coast, Reuters added.
Police were preparing to storm a building where gunmen were holed up in Derbent, an unofficial channel on the Telegram messaging app Mash said.
Derbent is home to an ancient Jewish community in the South Caucasus and a UNESCO world heritage site.
Dagestan is a mainly Muslim region in southern Russia.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
