On June 23, gunmen attacked two churches, a synagogue, and a police post in Russia’s Dagestan region, killing at least 19 police officers, National Guard members, civilians, and an Orthodox priest and injuring 12 others. The attacks occurred in Derbent and Makhachkala.

No group has claimed responsibility, but considering past attacks by Islamic militants in the region, can these attacks be linked to groups like the Islamic State?

And despite evidence of homegrown terrorism in Russia, President Putin insists that Russia cannot be a target of Islamic fundamentalist attacks. Instead, it pins the blame on Ukraine. What explains this reluctance to acknowledge the presence of Islamic fundamentalists and the underlying resentment among Muslim conservatives in Russia?

In this episode of Geeta's World, our host, Anna Priyadarshini, and the foreign affairs editor at India Today, TV Today Network, Geeta Mohan, discuss!

Listen in!

Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound Mix by Sachin Dwivedi