THE priest butchered alongside 19 cops in the latest Russian massacre had his throat slit in front of his helpless family, say officials.
Synagogues, churches and a police post were targeted in a suspected terror attack after a series of deadly strikes in the Dagestani cities of Derbent and Makhachkala on Sunday.
The orthodox priest was named as Nikolai Kotelnikov by the head of the Dagestan republic Sergei Melikov.
Kotelnikov had worked in his beloved Derbent church for over 40 years before he was ruthlessly murdered as his loved ones watched on, claimed Mr Melikov.
He was believed to have been a 66-year-old father battling against an unknown illness.
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Mr Melikov is yet to confirm the names of any other victims of the attacks.
He said on Sunday: "This is a day of tragedy for Dagestan and the whole country."
At least 19 police officers and several civilians had also been killed in what was labelled a "terrorist attack".
Russia’s National Anti-Terrorist Committee said five gunmen were “eliminated” as Mr Melikov later confirmed six “bandits” were “liquidated”.
Russia has been on high alert for terror activity since 139 people were gunned down in a concert hall near Moscow in the deadliest attack in two decades.
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation confirmed that a terrorism investigation had been opened up.
They said: “All the circumstances of the incident and the persons involved in the terrorist attacks are being established, and their actions will be given a legal assessment."
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, called for authorities to respond to the horror attacks appropriately.
They said: "I am convinced that it is necessary to do everything possible to exclude the very possibility of attempts to radicalise religious life, to stop any manifestations of extremism and inter-ethnic hostility in any form.
"The present and future of our country largely depends on this."
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Dagestan declared Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are set to be days of mourning following the heinous attacks.
THE FATAL ATTACKS
Dagestan's Ministry of Internal Affairs said a group of armed men with automatic rifles fired at places of worship in Derbent and Makhachkala.
Located on the Caspian Sea, Derbent is home to an ancient Jewish community in the South Caucasus and a UNESCO world heritage site.
The first attack on Derbent took place around 6pm local time, Russian news agency RIA reported.
Forty minutes after evening prayer, gunmen stormed a synagogue before they “set the building on fire using Molotov cocktails”, siad the Russian Justice Committee.
The rampaging gunmen then got into a firefight with police and security guards.
Harrowing images show the religious temple ablaze with smoke billowing through the air.
The attackers fled in a car before they were hunted down and "eliminated" by officers.
Around the same time, police officers were killed in an exchange of shots at a traffic police post in Makhachkala, about 75 miles to the north along the Caspian Sea coast.
Makhachkala is the main city in Dagestan and is considered a mainly Muslim region in southern Russia.
Alongside the 19 police officers, civilian casualties were also reported as well as a dozen of injuries as a second synagogue was seen on fire.
The Assumption Cathedral in Makhachkala was also attacked, say reports.
Fighting was later reported in the city's streets, with footage circulating online of at least three armed men dressed in black opening fire at police cars.
Other clips show people running for their lives as police reportedly chase terrorists on a local beach.
The motivation behind the attacks is still unknown.
Taking to Telegram, Mr Melikov, said on Sunday: "Tonight in Derbent and Makhachkala, unknown individuals attempted to destabilise the public situation.
"Dagestan police officers stood in their way. According to preliminary information, there are casualties among them."
Some officials in Dagestan have since blamed Ukraine and Nato for the attacks.
The republic has a history of Islamic militancy, however.
Dagestan lawmaker Abdulkhakim Gadzhiyev wrote on Telegram: "There is no doubt that these terrorist attacks are in one way or another connected with the intelligence services of Ukraine and NATO countries."
Ukrainian officials did not comment immediately on the attacks.
President Ramzan Kadyrov of neighboring Chechnya said: "What happened looks like a vile provocation and an attempt to cause discord between confessions."
