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Posted by Juliet Dennis on Aug 6th, 2021 at 09:00

Travel Ledger to develop Abta’s single payments system

Legacy system to be replaced after 20 years

Tech company Travel Ledger is behind plans to develope a replacement for Abta’s long-standing Single Payment Scheme (SPS).

The association’s new system will launch later this summer and allow more frequent payments, replacing the legacy system which has existed for around 20 years.

Last year,  use of the legacy direct debit system was limited for a brief period  as it struggled to cope with the volume of refunds being issued due to the pandemic.

Travel Ledger’s new system has been trialled by Abta member focus groups over the last few months and adjusted based on feedback.

More:  Abta’s 2021 Travel Convention to be both in-person and online

Abta study finds ‘ongoing’ public confidence in agents and packages

SPS is a direct debit scheme that allows online payments between travel agents and tour operators. Payments are currently consolidated each week to create a single payment in or out of the member’s bank account. Members used SPS to settle more than 600,000 bookings in 2019 to the value of more than £900 million.

The new Travel Ledger scheme will mean Abta members can control not only who they transact with but also facilitate the deposit and balance payments from agents to operators and refunds from operators to agents.

In time, members who join the scheme will be able to process payments more often, with more than the current one payment cycle per week.

John de Vial, special adviser at Abta, said: “The new scheme will use the latest technology to allow fast, accurate and secure consolidated payments and refunds. We’re confident that it will greatly support users’ businesses and make payments easier.”

Abta said it chose Travel Ledger, after evaluating a number of systems, based on its technology knowhow and understanding of the travel sector.

It will use the same process as the older platform to avoid disruption to existing users’ back-office functions.

Travel Ledger, an electronic invoice and remittance system connected to UK and European banking, will also provide technical support to members, who will be able to review their own data and identify potential problems with future payments in advance of authorisation.

Founder Roberto De Ra said: “Having tested the Travel Ledger system successfully with a large focus group of Abta members, we’re delighted to offer the system across the entire Abta membership in the coming weeks and look forward to fruitful collaboration with them.”

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ABTA launches new scheme to simplify industry payments

ABTA will launch a replacement version of its Single Payment System to members later this year. The technology has been developed by Travel Ledger. The direct debit system allows fast online payments between travel agents and tour operators.

Transactions are consolidated by the payment scheme, so that each week only a single payment is made in or out of each member’s bank account.

Under the new, more efficient scheme ABTA members will have control over their payments, not only who they transact with, but also by facilitating deposit and balance payments from travel agents to tour operators, and refunds from operators to agents.

Over time, members who join the scheme will have the opportunity to process payments more frequently with the potential for more than the one cycle per week that the current scheme allows. After evaluating multiple systems, ABTA chose to partner with Travel Ledger because of its technology knowhow and understanding of the travel industry.

The new system has been tested by ABTA member focus groups over the last few months, allowing Members to review and refine the scheme and ensure it works for their requirements. It will use the same process as on the older platform, to avoid disruption to existing users’ back-office functions.

John de Vial, special adviser at ABTA, said: “The new scheme will use the latest technology to allow fast, accurate and secure consolidated payments and refunds. We’re confident that it will greatly support users’ businesses and make payments easier.”

Travel Ledger is an electronic invoice and remittance system which is connected to UK and European banking for easy and secure payments between travel buyers and suppliers, providing secure transaction processing and reconciliation. Once live, it will provide user and technical support to ABTA Members, who will be able to review their own data, as well as identify potential problems with transactions in advance, before payments are authorised or transactions fail – making the system more risk-free for all parties.

Travel Ledger founder, Roberto De Ra, added: “Having tested the Travel Ledger system successfully with a large focus group of ABTA members, we’re delighted to offer the system across the entire ABTA membership in the coming weeks and look forward to fruitful collaboration with them.”

ABTA members in 2019 settled more than 600,000 bookings to the value of more than £900 million.

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The trains and stations of the Moscow Metro

2 Comments · Posted by Alex Smirnov in Cities , Travel , Video

The Moscow Metro is the third most intensive subway system in the world after Tokyo and Seoul subways. The first line was opened on May 15, 1935. Since 1955, the metro has the name of V.I. Lenin.

The system consists of 12 lines with a total length of 305.7 km. Forty four stations are recognized cultural heritage. The largest passenger traffic is in rush hours from 8:00 to 9:00 and from 18:00 to 19:00.

Cellular communication is available on most of the stations of the Moscow Metro. In March 2012, a free Wi-Fi appeared in the Circle Line train. The Moscow Metro is open to passengers from 5:20 to 01:00. The average interval between trains is 2.5 minutes.

The fare is paid by using contactless tickets and contactless smart cards, the passes to the stations are controlled by automatic turnstiles. Ticket offices and ticket vending machines can be found in station vestibules.

Tags:  Moscow city

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Tomás · August 27, 2012 at 11:34 pm

The Moscow metro stations are the best That I know, cars do not.

Alberto Calvo · September 25, 2016 at 8:57 pm

Great videos! Moscow Metro is just spectacular. I actually visited Moscow myself quite recently and wrote a post about my top 7 stations, please check it out and let me know what you think! :)

http://www.arwtravels.com/blog/moscow-metro-top-7-stations-you-cant-miss

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Claudia Looi

Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow.   Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station  is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station  was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

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Travel Ledger

Tl pay abta, tl pay - migration information for abta members (updated dec 19th), a new faster payment method coming to the abta scheme..

As part of our ongoing enhancement to the platform, Travel Ledger and ABTA are introducing the TL Pay account, provided by Nium.

This is a new online payment facility provided by Nium and fully integrated within the Travel Ledger platform.

** Please note that even if you are already live on Travel Ledger you have to apply for a TL Pay Account as this is a completely new payment facility ** 

Why are we introducing this new facility.

• Settlement is 50% quicker, including Agent refund s
• Funds received on the due date - No need to collect 1 week earlier
• EURO denominations can now be processed
• Settle with non-ABTA and other international suppliers

General Information about TL Pay

TL Pay is an e-money account integrated into the Travel Ledger platform (provided by Nium) which replaces the debit order method. TL Pay is a “single-purpose business account” and can ONLY be used to settle with other companies on Travel Ledger.

For Agents (Buyers) in the UK , usage of the TL Pay facility is going to be FREE to deposit and withdraw funds as well as paying Suppliers when TL Pay is used within the normal weekly payment cycle.

Initial setup of a TL Pay account however, will still carry a £ 90 one off charge.

Special Limited Time Offer (now extended to Jan 15th!)

As an ABTA member we have agreed to waive the £90 setup fee if the application is made before January 15th. (This is related to a fee our banking partner charges us which we will incur).

As there are no charges to hold a TL Pay account, we invite you to apply as soon as possible even if the actual cutover to this new methods will not happen for another few weeks.

Don't miss out on this exclusive offer and open your TL Pay account today!

TL Pay Sign Up Process

Detailed instructions will be displayed on the platform and in each page, but in general this is the process to sign up to Travel Ledger:

• You must log into Travel Ledger as the Admin user (authorised to act on behalf of the company) and you will see “TL Pay” as a new option on the menu on the left 
• The Admin user will be required to go through a Know Your Business (KYB) online form, where you need to provide information and documentation about the company for verification purposes.
• After the Company information is submitted, for security reasons, the system will need to verify the identify of the Applicant and to do so it will provide a web link that should be opened from the mobile phone of the Applicant in order to take a picture of the user ID and a selfie
• Once the company and the Applicant are successfully verified (it might take a few days or a week for such verification depending on the complexity of your company structure), you will need to deposit £1.00 into your TL Pay account to fully activate it.

For a more detailed guide and overview of the application process, please see the specific pages in our help system here .

*** Important NOTE *** We’re committed to ensuring the safety, security and compliance of our platform for all users. As part of our commitment to regulatory compliance, we require “Know Your Business” (KYB) information from you during the application process, in order to open your TL Pay account. KYB is a crucial step in our efforts to combat financial crime, prevent fraud and comply with the relevant Anti-Money Laundering (“AML”) regulations. Rest assured that the information you provide during the KYB process is kept confidential and used solely for verification and compliance purposes.

TL Pay - How your funds are protected

The TL Pay accounts are provided by Nium Fintech Limited (“Nium”) (company number 09039850) ("TL Pay Account”). Nium is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 with Firm Reference Number (FRN) 901024 to issue electronic money and provide payment services. More information about Nium’s licence can be found on the FCA register here . Travel Ledger Limited (“TL Pay”) provides technical services (including the user interface) and first line customer support to Nium to enable customers to use, access and manage their TL Pay Account.

How does it work?

When customer’s load funds into their TL Pay Account, these funds go directly into a Nium owned client funds account, and Nium issues the equivalent value of electronic money (also known as e-money) to their TL Pay Account. E-money is electronically stored monetary value (cash). Nium protects the customer’s money through safeguarding, meaning when Nium receives the customer’s money, it will place it in a safeguarding account with a bank and it will stay in that account until the customer spends or withdraws it.

How is Nium different from a bank when it comes to protecting your money?

In terms of protection, a customer’s deposits with a bank, building society or credit union (“financial services firm”) are protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).  The FSCS is an independent fund that exists to protect eligible customers of financial service firm that have failed up to a certain limit (usually £85,000 for eligible customers or up to £170,000 for joint accounts).

Whereas, money held in with Nium in an e-money account are not protected under the FSCS. Instead, e-money institutions (like Nium) are required to ‘safeguard’ relevant funds using one of the methods allowed by the law – segregation (also called safeguarding) or under an insurance policy/guarantee, and there is no limit on the funds that will be protected.  As described above, Nium has chosen to safeguard your money.

What happens to your money if Nium go out of business? 

In the unlikely event that Nium goes out of business whilst it is in possession of your money, an insolvency practitioner (or someone similar) would be appointed to return your funds to you from the safeguarding account. This means you would get your money back, although some costs may be deducted by the insolvency practitioner (or someone similar) for distributing the money back to you.

Please also note that due to e-money institution insolvency (or similar) procedures, it may take longer (as compared to an FSCS claim) for your money to be returned to you.

For more information about using a non-bank payment service provider, you can visit the FCA website

TL Pay Transaction Process

Using TL Pay does NOT change the existing invoice approval processes in Travel Ledger, but monies owed will process via your TL Pay account instead of Direct Debit.

More details on the process can be found on our wiki at this link: https://help.travelledger.org/tl-pay-account#how-do-i-use-my-tl-pay-account

Important Links

When you apply for a TL Pay account, you will be presented with an addendum to your Travel Ledger T&Cs as well as Nium’s T&Cs, the e-money account provider operating the TL Pay account.

To allow you to review such terms in advance of starting the application process, here are links to each one.

• TL (Travel Ledger) Pay Terms and Conditions 

https://www.travelledger.org/media/gfgojigy/tl-pay-amendment_july2023.pdf

• NIUM Terms and Conditions

https://www.travelledger.org/media/gpdbzme2/travel-ledger_nium-uk_corporate-user_v1_jul2023.pdf

For any additional information please consult our online help system here

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Summer airline travelers expect to face a Fourth of July holiday crush. LAX among the busiest

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Los Angeles International Airport and other area airports are preparing for a crush of airline passengers, with Friday kicking off the busy Fourth of July travel season.

The Transportation Security Administration said it anticipated screening more than 28 million passengers between Friday and Monday, July 5-8 . That would mark a 5.4% increase in traffic over last year.

Thursday was the fifth-busiest day in TSA history, with security officers processing 2.92 million passengers. That tally barely surpassed the 2.91 million travelers screened on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2023.

LAX is expected to screen about 900,000 people between July 1 and July 8, according to TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers. She said the airport’s anticipated busiest day will be July 3, when an estimated 119,000 people are expected to travel. Monday, July 8, is expected to be nearly as busy with 118,000 people.

The lightest day is projected to be July 4, with 100,000 travelers.

TSA is “fully staffed” and prepared for the increase, Dankers said.

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“TSA has been planning for this holiday period for months and operations are going very smoothly at LAX,” Dankers said in an email.

She added, “While [our] security screening officers will be working hard during the Fourth of July holiday, we are confident that travelers departing LAX will experience a smooth and efficient security screening experience.”

TSA said wait time standards are 10 minutes and under in TSA PreCheck lanes and 30 minutes and under at regular screening lanes.

TSA is also expecting July 5 and July 7 to be the two busiest days of the travel cycle, with more than 3 million people traveling through 434 airports.

The uptick in travelers reflects the continuing growth in air travel since COVID-19 health restrictions were lifted.

Officials at Ontario International Airport are expecting a 10.3% increase in travel between Tuesday, July 2, and Sunday, July 7.

That translates into approximately 117,805 visitors moving through the airport.

Ontario airport is still asking passengers to arrive two hours prior to departure for domestic flights and three hours for international departures. Parking should also be reserved in advance.

Long Beach Airport did not release projections for the Fourth of July. The hub, however, is coming off a record-breaking May.

A new all-time high of 189,435 travelers passed through its doors in May, surpassing the airport’s previous best of 182,382 in March.

“LGB’s unwavering dedication to delivering easygoing, first-class service exceeds expectations for travelers and fuels economic growth and prosperity for our region,” said Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson in a statement .

LAX’s already-miserable traffic is expected to get a lot worse this week. Here’s what to know

Drivers traveling to Los Angeles International Airport this week could face more traffic than usual because construction has partly closed down Century Boulevard.

April 9, 2024

The transportation hub is preparing to deal with the holiday rush by increasing staffing along the curbs and crosswalks to keep traffic flowing, said public affairs officer Kate Kuykendall. Other enhancements include the addition of a temporary cell phone waiting lot and special accommodations for large groups.

“Although this is a very busy time for our airport, we are proud to offer the most easygoing and convenient passenger experience in the region,” Kuykendall said.

Hollywood Burbank Airport did not release projections for the Fourth of July.

The airport’s most up-to-date figures saw a slight increase in travel for April, with 508,043 passengers. That was a bump of just under 1,500 travelers from the same time last year.

Orange County’s John Wayne Airport also did not offer any projections for the Independence Day travel season. Unlike its counterparts, it saw a dip in travel in May. The airport serviced 950,740 passengers last month, marking an 8.7% decrease compared with May 2023 (1,041,342).

More to Read

In a city known for traffic, LAX is a standout for its gridlock. Can it be fixed?

June 11, 2024

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May 24, 2024

Get ready, fliers: Memorial Day weekend will kick off a humming summer at LAX

May 23, 2024

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Andrew J. Campa is a member of the Fast Break team at the Los Angeles Times, having previously covered the Eastside and San Gabriel Valley. Before, he worked at several medium and small daily newspapers and has covered education, sports and general news. He’s a proud University of Alabama (#RollTide), Cal State Fullerton and Pasadena City College alumnus.

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Deadly Attack Revives Fears of the Return of Mass Terror in Russia

A deadly assault in the southern region of Dagestan has put a spotlight on the failing of Russian security services amid the war in Ukraine.

By Anatoly Kurmanaev and Ivan Nechepurenko

A deadly attack on a police station and places of worship in southern Russia on Sunday raised the specter of a new wave of violence in the country’s restive Northern Caucasus region and underlined the mounting security challenges facing the Kremlin amid the demands of the war in Ukraine.

A seemingly coordinated assault by gunmen in the two largest cities of the Dagestan region, which left at least 20 people dead, was the deadliest attack in the region in 14 years. It evoked memories of the intense violence that had gripped Russia’s predominantly Muslim region in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

That violence was caused by a combination of Islamic fundamentalism and organized crime. Suppressing it became one of the central bragging points for President Vladimir V. Putin after he came to power in 1999.

That legacy is now at risk of being undermined by a new spate of extremist violence.

In March, four gunmen killed 145 people at a concert hall near Moscow in an attack claimed by the Islamic State. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Russia in more than a decade, and was carried out despite the fact that the United States provided Russia a fairly detailed warning of the plot.

In Dagestan in October, a mob, apparently searching for Jewish passengers, stormed a plane arriving from Tel Aviv.

And earlier this month, several men detained on terrorist charges led a short-lived prison mutiny in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. The mutineers took guards hostage and published videos — unverified — claiming affinity with the Islamic State, before being gunned down by security forces.

Russian authorities have designated Sunday’s attack in Dagestan as an act of terror, but it was not immediately clear who was responsible. The Kremlin spokesman on Monday declined to comment on the gunmen’s motives.

Despite the dearth of details, the Dagestan attacks have contributed to a sense of the Kremlin’s slipping ability to keep a lid on the ethnic and religious tensions that have long festered in the Northern Caucasus. Mr. Putin suppressed the violence two decades ago at the cost of empowering brutal strongmen, abusing human rights and showering it with outsized federal subsidies.

The challenge is further complicated now, with a draining war in Ukraine taxing the economy and the efficiency of Russia’s security apparatus.

“The region is packed with security agents, but they are unable to control the situation now, because the Russian authorities’ resources and attention are predominantly concentrated on the war in Ukraine,” said Tanya Lokshina, an associate director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch, a research group, referring to Dagestan. She called Sunday’s attack “a giant failure of the intelligence agencies.”

The gunmen’s targets on Sunday included a police station as well as synagogues and Orthodox churches in the Dagestani cities of Makhachkala and Derbent. Fifteen of the victims were police officers; one was an Orthodox priest who was killed in his church. It is not known whether attackers were specifically targeting law enforcement officers.

Five attackers were eventually killed by security forces, regional authorities said.

Sunday’s plot had some characteristics of violence of the early 2000s, when gunmen simultaneously targeted police checkpoints in hit-and-run attacks, said Andrei Soldatov, a Russian security analyst and an expert on Northern Caucasus. But they also included some new elements, such as the reported involvement of local elites , he added, contributing to the intelligence agencies’ failure to defuse the plot.

Russian state media and propagandists said the attackers, mostly men in their 30s, included relatives of a local official and a member of a prominent martial arts club , a major sport in Dagestan. Some worked for large state companies, a lucrative position in the region.

Dagestan’s roughly 3.2 million residents are split among dozens of ethnic groups. The largest groups are predominantly Muslim, but the region is also home to a significant Christian minority, as well as a small Jewish community, one of the oldest in Russia.

In the earlier periods of violence in the Northern Caucasus, security forces came under attack on a nearly daily basis, and Islamist terrorists targeted public gatherings as far afield as Moscow and St. Petersburg, more than a thousand miles from the region.

“The trauma of the Chechen wars and terror attacks in large cities are always present in Russia; they are easily awakened,” Mr. Soldatov said.

That national trauma of Sunday’s attack prompted the Kremlin to make an usual step of reassuring Russians that it was an isolated tragedy.

“Russia today is very different,” the Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, said in a press briefing on Monday. Its “society is much more consolidated.”

The Kremlin has been facing a range of security challenges as the war in Ukraine drags on for a third year. On Monday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry blamed the United States for a different deadly incident on Sunday: an explosion at a beach in Russian-occupied Crimea that the authorities said killed four people, including two children, and caused 82 people to be hospitalized.

Russia said the incident occurred after Ukraine fired an American-provided long-range missile at Crimea, where it was intercepted and exploded in midair. The ministry on Monday summoned the American ambassador in Moscow and claimed there was “no doubt about the involvement of the United States in this sinister crime.”

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukraine’s president, described Crimea as a legitimate target, with “hundreds” of military facilities that “the Russians are cynically trying to hide and cover up with their own civilians.”

A Pentagon spokesman, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, declined to answer questions about the attack, saying that they should be put instead to Ukraine. “They make their own decisions when it comes to operations and targeting,” he told reporters.

The Crimea explosion was an embarrassment for the Kremlin, underlining its inability to protect civilians, many of them Russian holidaymakers, in a contested region that Mr. Putin has touted as a fully integrated part of Russia.

The government’s willingness to quickly blame the United States for the Crimea explosion contrasted sharply with the reticent reaction to the Dagestan attack. The diverging responses illustrated its broader attempt to play up the external threats seemingly outside its control while minimizing the failures of the domestic intelligence services.

Without public guidance from the Kremlin, many pro-government commentators on Monday attempted to present the Dagestan attack as part of Russia’s broader lone standoff against the vague, dark forces of a hostile world. This narrative of national victimhood has become increasingly prevalent in Mr. Putin’s Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.

“We understand who is behind these acts of terror,” Sergei Melikov, the top official of Dagestan, said in an address to its residents, without specifying the perpetrators. He made a comparison between the victims of the assault and Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, saying they were facing the same unnamed, enemy.

“We need to understand that war has come into our home,” Mr. Melikov added.

The history of terrorist violence in the Northern Caucasus region, however, makes it harder for authorities to blame Sunday’s attacks on a vague, unified external enemy, said Aleksandr Baunov, a political analyst at Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, a Berlin-based research group.

“What we are seeing is the Russian regime’s latest episode of the loss of control in the most diverse places,” Mr. Baunov wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Monday. “Places that are often unexpected to the government itself.”

Oleg Matsnev and Anton Troianovski contributed reporting.

Anatoly Kurmanaev covers Russia and its transformation following the invasion of Ukraine. More about Anatoly Kurmanaev

Ivan Nechepurenko covers Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the countries of the Caucasus, and Central Asia. He is based in Moscow. More about Ivan Nechepurenko