Dagestan church shooting leaves five dead in Kizlyar

  • 18 February 2018
A map showing Kizlyar in Dagestan, Russia

Five people have been killed in a shooting at a Christian church in the Russian republic of Dagestan.

Five others were also injured in the shooting, Russia's interior ministry said.

A local man fired at people leaving an evening service in the city of Kizlyar, Russia's Tass news agency said.

The attacker was shot and killed at the scene, and two police officers were among the wounded, the news agency reports.

Russian media report that the attacker used a hunting rifle, opening fire on worshippers leaving a service during the Maslenitsa celebrations - a traditional pre-Lent festival.

The injured have all been sent to hospital.

Dagestan, located in Russia's North Caucasus near Chechnya and Georgia, is an ethnically diverse and largely Muslim federal republic.

Related Topics

Share this story About sharing