At least three police officers have been killed and several others wounded after assailants opened fire on traffic police in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan, officials confirmed on Monday.
The attack occurred in the capital city of Makhachkala at approximately 14:20 local time (11:20 GMT) when police attempted to stop a vehicle, according to Dagestan’s regional leader, Sergei Melikov. The Interior Ministry stated that gunmen began shooting as officers approached the car.
Two attackers, both born in 2000, were shot dead at the scene. Authorities have not disclosed how many others were involved in the ambush. State media reports suggest additional suspects fled in a vehicle, sparking a broader manhunt in the region.
Footage shared on Telegram and verified by the Reuters news agency depicted bodies on the road beside a police vehicle, with gunfire ringing out as crowds gathered nearby.
Four more police officers and several civilians, including a 17-year-old girl, were taken to hospital. One of the wounded later succumbed to injuries, bringing the total number of fatalities to at least four. A criminal investigation is now underway.
Dagestan, a majority-Muslim republic bordering the Caspian Sea, has seen a spate of violent attacks in recent years, many linked to Islamist militant groups.
In March 2024, Russian security forces reported killing four alleged Islamic State (ISIL) fighters in the region who were said to be planning an assault on a local Interior Ministry facility.
The latest shooting comes just weeks after Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed to have killed a man allegedly preparing bomb attacks on the Moscow metro and a Jewish site in the capital region.
In June 2024, at least 20 people were killed in a coordinated assault on religious and police sites in Dagestan, one of the deadliest attacks in the region in recent memory.
These incidents follow the devastating March 2024 massacre at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall, where 133 people were killed. While the ISIL affiliate in Afghanistan, ISKP (Islamic State Khorasan Province), claimed responsibility, Moscow controversially suggested Ukrainian involvement—an assertion presented without supporting evidence.
Despite the territorial defeat of ISIL in Iraq and Syria declared in 2019, offshoots such as ISKP continue to pose a threat, carrying out attacks across Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Dagestan remains one of the regions most vulnerable to this renewed wave of extremism.
Russian authorities have vowed to step up security measures as investigations continue into the Makhachkala assault. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the latest attack.
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