The agencies reported exchanges of gunfire in the centre of Makhachkala. They cited the Interior Ministry as saying exits via the Caspian Sea port city with a population of around 600,000 had been closed and that conspirators who were still at large may yet attempt to flee the city.

About 125 kilometres south of Makhachkala, gunmen attacked a synagogue and a church in Derbent, home to an ancient Jewish community and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Authorities were quoted as saying that both the synagogue and church were ablaze, and two attackers had been killed.

The head of Dagestan’s regional government vowed stiff punishment for “whichever forces lie behind these disgusting actions”. The head of the country’s federation of Jewish communities has called for people to avoid reacting to “provocations”, Russian media reported.

In Israel, the Foreign Ministry said the synagogue in Derbent had been burnt to the ground and shots had been fired at a second synagogue in Makhachkala. The statement said it was believed there were no worshippers in the synagogue at the time.

Russian authorities have pointed to militant Muslim elements in previous incidents in the region.

Last October, after the war in Gaza broke out, rioters waving Palestinian flags broke down glass doors and rampaged through Makhachkala airport to look for Jewish passengers on a flight arriving from Tel Aviv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West and Ukraine of stirring up unrest inside Russia in connection with the incident.

Reuters