An Orthodox priest Father Nikolay Kotelnikov was brutally murdered after two churches and a synagogue came under attack on Sunday in Russia’s southern region of Dagestan, Interior Ministry spokesperson Gayana Garieva has said.
Footage of the Kele-Numaz Synagogue in Derbent, which was attacked by terrorists yesterday, reveals extensive damage. Located in the village of Kele in Dagestan, this synagogue is a vital religious site for the Mountain Jews and is the last remaining synagogue in the autonomous republic.
The left wing of the building is completely burned out. There are no windows, and the facade is covered in soot. Brick fragments are scattered in front of the entrance to the synagogue.
The Jewish community in Dagestan, primarily consisting of Mountain Jews, also known as Tats, traces its origins back to Persian-speaking regions and has lived in the Caucasus since at least the 8th century. Despite geographical and political isolation, the community has preserved its distinct cultural and religious practices.
Historically, Mountain Jews settled in various parts of Dagestan, with significant populations in cities like Derbent and Makhachkala. Dagestan, a republic in Russia’s North Caucasus, is known for its ethnic diversity and predominantly practices Sunni Islam. The region has a complex history of resistance and resilience against various external forces.
Father Nikolay Kotelnikov was brutally murdered
The assailants reportedly broke into an Orthodox church in the city of Derbent and killed the archpriest, Father Nikolay Kotelnikov, by slitting his throat, according to Shamil Khadulaev, the head of the regional Public Oversight Committee, which monitors the observance of human rights in prisons.
A security guard named Mikhail, who worked at the church, was shot by the assailants. He was only armed with a gas pistol, Khadulaev added. Other clergymen locked themselves in the church, waiting for help.
The terrorists attacked the church on Pentecost Sunday, immediately after the evening service and shortly before the church was closed.
The priest who was killed, Father Nikolay Kotelnikov, was 66 years old and seriously ill, according to Shamil Khadulaev. In the 1980s, Father Nikolay was commissioned from the southern Russian city of Stavropol to Dagestan and served at Derbent’s Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He spent a total of 40 years serving there and had a wife, three children, and grandchildren, according to local media reports.
Father Nikolay also reportedly took part in the ceremony of delivering the ‘Holy Fire’ from Jerusalem to Russia.
Deadly assaults on synagogues & Orthodox churches in Russia: As it happened: The attacks on synagogues and Orthodox churches in Russia have left the community in shock. Read more for a detailed account of the tragic events.
L’arciprete assassinato Nikolay Kotelnikov era un simbolo della pace interreligiosa in Daghestan.
Archpriest Father Nikolay Kotelnikov MUST be AVENGED!
Lord have mercy on his loved ones and receive your martyr Father Nikolay Kotelnikov.
il sacerdote al centro della composizione è padre Nikolay Kotelnikov, ucciso oggi dai terroristi.
Radicais do ISIS mataram o mártir Padre Nikolay Kotelnikov no Daguestão. Deixou filhos e netos.
he murder Russian Orthodox priest Father Nikolay Kotelnikov in a church on the great holiday of Trinity shows that the most important goal of the terrorist attack in Dagestan is to incite conflict between Orthodox Christians and Muslims in Russia. Russia’s enemies want:
1. Killings of Orthodox Christians on holy days.
2. Then pogroms of Muslims in Russian cities.
3. Then a surge of radicalism among Muslim youth.
4. Then an influx of recruits into Islamist terrorist organizations.
5. Then new terrorist attacks against Orthodox Christians.
6. Then new pogroms against Muslims in Russian cities.
7. And so further and further along the spiral of violence – to blow up the Caucasus, waves of terrorist attacks in large cities of Russia.
It was revealed that the perpetrators of terrorist attacks in Makhachkala and Darbend created a secret correspondence group and planned the entire operation in this group.
They prepared for the terrorist attack a month in advance.
Nikolai Kotelnikov, the priest of Derbend church, was the main target.
No, no, no, you don’t kill an unarmed priest.
Archpriest Nikolai Kotelnikov, killed in Dagestan, became the seventh priest to die in Russia at the hands of Islamist fanatics
What happened looks like a vile provocation and an attempt to cause discord between faiths.