٠٠:٠٤:٣٠The wife of clergyman Valentina Kotelnikova, who was killed in the armed assault on the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin in Russia’s Derbent on Sunday, spoke to journalists in the aftermath of the attack.
Footage captured on Monday shows a local clearing soot off the floor in the church, which was damaged during the attack.
According to Kotelnikova, she had returned home with Father Nikolai following a holiday service and heard the sound of gunfire shortly after.
"I went out, I wanted to close the doors, but I didn't have time because they [the attackers] had already climbed up the thresholds. One of them entered alone, slid into the house, and immediately shot [my husband] in the head, and that was it. Then he ran through the rooms, and I closed the door and waited for him to leave. He put out these bags or something, you know, something flammable, because when I opened the door, maybe five minutes later, everything was burning, everything was black," the woman recalled.
Kotelnikova added that after the attackers set the church on fire, it was put out quickly, whereas the priest’s house was burnt to the ground.
A parishioner, Lilia Polinskaya, shared her memories of the deceased priest.
"He was like a father to everyone. You could turn to him at any moment, and he would guide you. This is a man who always taught us that there is no religion, no nation, we are all one. He taught us to love everybody. He used to say, "You don't pay attention if someone said something [bad] there; we are all friends, we are all brothers, there is no difference between us." This was the kindest man. <...> It's a great tragedy for us, for the parishioners," the woman said.
A series of deadly attacks on churches, synagogues and police posts rocked Dagestan's Makhachkala and Derbent on Sunday. At the time of publication, around 20 people were confirmed dead, many of them police officers, and dozens taken to hospital.
The Russian Investigative Committee for the Republic of Dagestan opened criminal cases into the attacks as possible 'terrorist acts'.
Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov described the incident in his Telegram channel as 'a despicable provocation and an attempt to bring discord between religions'.
'He was immediately shot in the head' - Wife of priest killed by gunmen in Russia's Dagestan
The wife of clergyman Valentina Kotelnikova, who was killed in the armed assault on the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin in Russia’s Derbent on Sunday, spoke to journalists in the aftermath of the attack.
Footage captured on Monday shows a local clearing soot off the floor in the church, which was damaged during the attack.
According to Kotelnikova, she had returned home with Father Nikolai following a holiday service and heard the sound of gunfire shortly after.
"I went out, I wanted to close the doors, but I didn't have time because they [the attackers] had already climbed up the thresholds. One of them entered alone, slid into the house, and immediately shot [my husband] in the head, and that was it. Then he ran through the rooms, and I closed the door and waited for him to leave. He put out these bags or something, you know, something flammable, because when I opened the door, maybe five minutes later, everything was burning, everything was black," the woman recalled.
Kotelnikova added that after the attackers set the church on fire, it was put out quickly, whereas the priest’s house was burnt to the ground.
A parishioner, Lilia Polinskaya, shared her memories of the deceased priest.
"He was like a father to everyone. You could turn to him at any moment, and he would guide you. This is a man who always taught us that there is no religion, no nation, we are all one. He taught us to love everybody. He used to say, "You don't pay attention if someone said something [bad] there; we are all friends, we are all brothers, there is no difference between us." This was the kindest man. <...> It's a great tragedy for us, for the parishioners," the woman said.
A series of deadly attacks on churches, synagogues and police posts rocked Dagestan's Makhachkala and Derbent on Sunday. At the time of publication, around 20 people were confirmed dead, many of them police officers, and dozens taken to hospital.
The Russian Investigative Committee for the Republic of Dagestan opened criminal cases into the attacks as possible 'terrorist acts'.
Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov described the incident in his Telegram channel as 'a despicable provocation and an attempt to bring discord between religions'.
The wife of clergyman Valentina Kotelnikova, who was killed in the armed assault on the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin in Russia’s Derbent on Sunday, spoke to journalists in the aftermath of the attack.
Footage captured on Monday shows a local clearing soot off the floor in the church, which was damaged during the attack.
According to Kotelnikova, she had returned home with Father Nikolai following a holiday service and heard the sound of gunfire shortly after.
"I went out, I wanted to close the doors, but I didn't have time because they [the attackers] had already climbed up the thresholds. One of them entered alone, slid into the house, and immediately shot [my husband] in the head, and that was it. Then he ran through the rooms, and I closed the door and waited for him to leave. He put out these bags or something, you know, something flammable, because when I opened the door, maybe five minutes later, everything was burning, everything was black," the woman recalled.
Kotelnikova added that after the attackers set the church on fire, it was put out quickly, whereas the priest’s house was burnt to the ground.
A parishioner, Lilia Polinskaya, shared her memories of the deceased priest.
"He was like a father to everyone. You could turn to him at any moment, and he would guide you. This is a man who always taught us that there is no religion, no nation, we are all one. He taught us to love everybody. He used to say, "You don't pay attention if someone said something [bad] there; we are all friends, we are all brothers, there is no difference between us." This was the kindest man. <...> It's a great tragedy for us, for the parishioners," the woman said.
A series of deadly attacks on churches, synagogues and police posts rocked Dagestan's Makhachkala and Derbent on Sunday. At the time of publication, around 20 people were confirmed dead, many of them police officers, and dozens taken to hospital.
The Russian Investigative Committee for the Republic of Dagestan opened criminal cases into the attacks as possible 'terrorist acts'.
Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov described the incident in his Telegram channel as 'a despicable provocation and an attempt to bring discord between religions'.