Dagestan attack highlights Russia’s vulnerability at home amid Ukraine war

Guardian UK ^ | 6/24/2024 | Andrew Roth

[marcusmaximus]

Sunday’s terrorist attacks in Dagestan that left at least 19 people dead have highlighted Russia’s growing difficulties in managing a tide of Islamist terror at home as its security forces are engaged in the war in Ukraine.

The attacks, carried out by four gunmen in Dagestan’s capital, Makhachkala, and two in the seaside city of Derbent, appeared to catch Dagestani officials by surprise. At least 15 police officers were among those killed, and the attackers also burned down a synagogue and set fire to a church in acts that Russian officials are clearly concerned could lead to a tide of inter-ethnic violence at home.

The mostly Muslim region in the North Caucasus in southern Russia is one of the country’s most restive, and the growing social unrest and violence there could indicate that the Kremlin is struggling to maintain order at home amid Vladimir Putin’s singular focus on his generational conflict with the west.

The attacks, which included a drive-by shooting targeting traffic police, were reminiscent of regular terror attacks that plagued the city in the 2000s. No group has taken responsibility but analysts have suggested they could be tied to Islamic State’s North Caucasus branch, Vilayat Kavkaz.

Coming just months after the Moscow concert hall attack, where IS-linked militants killed 145 people, and last year’s antisemitic rioting at the Dagestan airport, the new attacks will raise concerns about a growing pool of radicalised young people in Russia and in particular in the North Caucasus, where societal tensions on multiple fronts appear close to a boiling point.

[Darksheare]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QiXUtJ3dQE

[Navy Patriot]

Dagestan attack highlights Russia’s vulnerability at home amid Ukraine war

Yes, vulnerability...