(C) Meduza This story was originally published by Meduza and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Real Russia. Today. Monday, June 24, 2024 — Meduza [1] [] Date: 2024-06-24 The attacks in Dagestan Russia’s Dagestan is in mourning after at least 20 people were killed in a series of attacks targeting religious buildings and a police post in the southern region. The attacks began around 6:00 p.m. local time on Sunday, when gunmen opened fire on a Russian Orthodox Church and a synagogue in the city of Derbent. Around the same time, authorities in the regional capital of Makhachkala reported that militants had fired on a police post and attacked an Orthodox church and a synagogue. According to Dagestan Governor Sergey Melikov, at least six gunmen were killed during the ensuing counter-terrorism operation. The Islamic State Khorasan, which claimed responsibility for a deadly terrorist attack at a concert in suburban Moscow earlier this year, praised Sunday’s attacks in Dagestan but did not claim responsibility. “Our brothers in the Caucasus showed they are still strong; they showed what they are capable of,” the group said in a statement. In its analysis, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said that the Islamic State Northern Caucasus branch (Wilayat Kavkaz) was most likely behind the “complex and coordinated attack” in Dagestan. Among the 20 people killed were at least 15 police officers and one priest, and another 46 people were wounded. Dagestan has declared three days of mourning. Read more about Sunday’s attacks We got The Beet. Don’t miss Meduza’s weekly newsletter (separate from the one you’re reading here)! The Prigozhin uprising anniversary On June 23, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin led his Wagner Group mercenaries in an armed insurrection against the Russian Defense Ministry. Prigozhin would never reach Moscow; he abandoned the coup the next day and his “Wagnerites” were ordered to either enlist under the Russian Defense Ministry or leave Russia for good. A year later, Meduza looks back at the unsuccessful insurrection and sums up the Wagner Group’s tactical legacy on the battlefield in Ukraine. One year ago, Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin launched a short-lived mutiny against the Russian Defense Ministry. His mercenaries began marching towards Moscow, making it all the way to Rostov-on-Don without encountering much resistance. But by the next evening, the “Wagnerites” had returned to their field camps and the Kremlin announced that the mercenaries had two options: enlist in the Russian military or leave Russia for Belarus. Exactly two months later, Prigozhin and some of his associates died in a plane crash. Since then, Prigozhin’s 26-year-old son has inherited his assets and the Wagner Group’s mercenaries in Syria and Africa have been folded into the Russian army. In a new report, BBC News Russian recounts what has become of the Wagner Group’s fighters. The war in Ukraine On February 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed into law a bill legalizing the use of cannabis for medical purposes. The new law is set to take effect in August 2024. But not everyone is happy: a large contingent of politicians and activists insist the legislation will be useless for Ukrainian patients without some serious fine tuning. Meduza explains how the initiative made it through parliament and what problems it aims to solve. More war news 🚨 Sevastopol declares state of emergency after missile attack kills four, injures 153: The Russian-installed authorities in Sevastopol declared a state of emergency on Sunday after a missile attack killed at least four people, including two children, and wounded 153 others. Russia’s Defense Ministry deemed the United States ultimately responsible for the strike, claiming Ukraine launched five American-supplied ATACMS missiles equipped with cluster warheads at the port city. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, air defense shot down four missiles and the fifth detonated in the air, causing shrapnel to rain down on a public beach and other parts of Sevastopol. Commenting on the attack, top Zelensky adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on social media, “There are not and cannot be any ‘beaches,’ ‘tourist zones,’ and other fictitious signs of ‘peaceful life’ in Crimea. Crimea is definitely a foreign territory occupied by Russia, where there are hostilities and a full-scale war.” The Russian-installed authorities in Sevastopol declared a state of emergency on Sunday after a missile attack killed at least four people, including two children, and wounded 153 others. Russia’s Defense Ministry deemed the United States ultimately responsible for the strike, claiming Ukraine launched five American-supplied ATACMS missiles equipped with cluster warheads at the port city. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, air defense shot down four missiles and the fifth detonated in the air, causing shrapnel to rain down on a public beach and other parts of Sevastopol. Commenting on the attack, top Zelensky adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on social media, “There are not and cannot be any ‘beaches,’ ‘tourist zones,’ and other fictitious signs of ‘peaceful life’ in Crimea. Crimea is definitely a foreign territory occupied by Russia, where there are hostilities and a full-scale war.” 💥 More Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Kharkiv: Russian missile and drone attacks on critical energy infrastructure damaged equipment in Ukraine’s southern and western regions over the weekend, the Kyiv Independent reported, citing Ukraine’s Energy Ministry. Also on Saturday and Sunday, Russia attacked the city of Kharkiv with glide bombs, killing at least four people and injuring around 70 others in total. Russian missile and drone attacks on critical energy infrastructure damaged equipment in Ukraine’s southern and western regions over the weekend, the Kyiv Independent reported, citing Ukraine’s Energy Ministry. Also on Saturday and Sunday, Russia attacked the city of Kharkiv with glide bombs, killing at least four people and injuring around 70 others in total. 💥 Russian double-tap missile strike kills five, injures 41 in Pokrovsk: A Russian double-tap missile strike killed at least five people and injured 41 others in the town of Pokrovsk on Monday, Reuters reported. Donetsk Regional Governor Vadym Filashkin described the strike as “one of the largest enemy attacks on civilians in recent times.” In the same Telegram post, Filashkin urged residents to evacuate. “There hasn’t been a single safe place left in the Donetsk region for a long time,” he wrote. A Russian double-tap missile strike killed at least five people and injured 41 others in the town of Pokrovsk on Monday, Reuters reported. Donetsk Regional Governor Vadym Filashkin described the strike as “one of the largest enemy attacks on civilians in recent times.” In the same Telegram post, Filashkin urged residents to evacuate. “There hasn’t been a single safe place left in the Donetsk region for a long time,” he wrote. 🪖 More than 56,800 dead Russian soldiers (and counting): The latest update to Mediazona’s Russian military casualty count includes the names of 2,677 more Russian soldiers killed in action in Ukraine, bringing the total number of corroborated deaths to 56,858. The latest update to Mediazona’s Russian military casualty count includes the names of 2,677 more Russian soldiers killed in action in Ukraine, bringing the total number of corroborated deaths to 56,858. 💸 E.U. to begin transferring profits from frozen Russian assets: Ukraine will start to receive the revenues from Russian assets frozen in the European Union next week, according to the bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrel. “The first tranche of money will come next week, in July. The second will come some months later,” he said at a press conference on Monday. No country can be free without independent media. In January 2023, the Russian authorities outlawed Meduza, banning our work in the country our colleagues call home. Just supporting Meduza carries the risk of criminal prosecution for Russian nationals, which is why we’re turning to our international audience for help. Your assistance makes it possible for thousands of people in Russia to read Meduza and stay informed. 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