Protopriest Nikolai Kotelnikov, who died in Derbent, has been posthumously awarded the Order of Courage, and Mikhail Vavilin, the church guard killed in Makhachkala, has been posthumously awarded the Medal for Valor. The corresponding decree was signed by President Vladimir Putin.

The document states that Protopriest Nikolai was awarded "for courage and selflessness, displayed at the cost of his own life while rescuing citizens from a terrorist attack." After the attack in Derbent, Patriarch Kirill expressed his condolences to Archbishop Varlaam of Makhachkala and emphasized that Father Nikolai "died for the name of Christ."

Father Nikolai Kotelnikov will be buried in Derbent on the grounds of the church. According to TASS, the expenses will be covered by State Duma Deputy Khizri Abakarov, who previously served as the city's mayor.

Protopriest Nikolai Kotelnikov served in the Orthodox church in Derbent for over 40 years. He was the rector of the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin in Derbent and taught at the Sunday school. According to a fellow priest who knew him, Father Nikolai was a kind, selfless person who greatly assisted his parishioners. He leaves behind a large family—his wife, three daughters, and six grandchildren.