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The United States has condemned a violent anti-Semitic event at an airport in Russia’s predominantly Muslim region of Daghestan in which a mob overran the airport and threatened an aircraft arriving from Tel Aviv.
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington condemned the incident, adding at a briefing with reporters on October 30 that the storming of the airport “looked like a pogrom to me” in videos of the incident that he had viewed.
“We call on Russian authorities to publicly condemn these violent protests, to hold anyone involved accountable, and to ensure the safety of Israelis and Jews in Russia,” Miller said.
The violence occurred on October 29 when dozens of protesters, angry over the situation surrounding the current war between Israel and Hamas militants, broke through doors and barriers at Makhachkala airport, with many of them chanting “Allahu akbar” (God is great) as they stormed the runway after the aircraft arrived.
Riot police and reinforcements, including National Guard units, were subsequently sent to “ensure the safety” of arriving passengers, according to the Baza Telegram channel.
Officials said more than 20 people were injured — two critically — in the unrest, with 10 of those injured needing hospitalization, while Baza said six police officers were among the casualties.
It was not clear whether any Israeli citizens were on the plane that arrived from Tel Aviv or whether any passengers were among the injured.
The RIA Novosti news agency reported on October 30 that more than 60 people were detained at the airport.
In a statement on October 30, the head of Russia’s Federation of Jewish Communities, Rabbi Aleksandr Boroda, said the incident “undermined the basic foundations of our multicultural and multinational state.”
“The events of October 29 at the Makhachkala airport, as well as previous incidents…clearly show that the conflict in the Middle East has already affected the lives of people in Russia, and that anti-Israel sentiment has now turned into open aggression toward even Russian Jews,” Boroda said.
The incidents Boroda referred to include a suspected arson attack on a Jewish center under construction in the city of Nalchik and reports that crowds gathered in front of two hotels in the Dagestani city of Khasavyurt demanding “refugees from Israel” leave the premises.
Russia’s aviation authority closed the airport and said it would remain out of operation until November 6, but later changed its stance and as of late on October 30, air traffic had resumed.
Flights from Israel, however, were being temporarily rerouted to other cities in Russia.
The Investigative Committee, meanwhile, said it had conducted searches of the residences of some of those involved in the unrest.
“Participants in the mass unrest are being interrogated under the relevant criminal case…records from video surveillance cameras have been retrieved,” the committee said.
Anti-Jewish protests have broken out in several cities in the region in the face of Israel’s war with Hamas, rulers of the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry on October 29 demanded that Russia protect Israelis and Jews and to apprehend anyone threatening them.
“Israel expects the Russian authorities to protect all Israeli citizens and all Jews, and to act decisively against the rioters and against incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis,” a statement said.
The Kremlin blamed the unrest on “outside interference,” and without showing any evidence accused Ukraine of involvement.
Ukraine rejected the accusation, saying that the Russian Foreign Ministry was attempting to “shift responsibility from a sick person to a healthy one.” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko added on Facebook that the events in Makhachkala “reflect deep-rooted anti-Semitism of Russian elites and society.”
The United States also rejected the Russian accusation about Ukrainian involvement. “I’ve seen their comments about blaming Ukraine. They are absurd,” Miller said.
Late on October 29, videos and photos from the scene published by RFE/RL’s Caucasus.Realities indicated that protesters had stormed onto the Makhachkala runway, attempting to gain entry to the incoming plane.
Some media said the mob gathered at the airport after a Telegram channel said “uninvited guests” would be on the plane and that they should be met in “adult fashion” and forced to go elsewhere.
A local news Telegram channel reported that protesters were attempting to check the identities of arriving passengers, seeking to prevent Jews from leaving the airport, including searching police vehicles.
A protester was seen in one unconfirmed video carried a sign saying, “Child killers have no place in Daghestan.”
Daghestani officials accused “enemies of Russia” of instigating the anti-Semitic sentiments after the Coordination Center of Muslims of the North Caucasus called on authorities to prevent refugees from Israel from entering the republic, according to the Caucasian Knot news website.
The Interior Ministry said that, “against the background of the situation in Makhachkala, the identities of all those who take part in the riots will be established, since video surveillance works at the airport.”
“We recommend that all persons who have violated the operating procedures of the [airport] to cease the illegal actions and to not interfere with the work of airport employees,” a Telegram statement said.
“It is not easy for each of us to stand and watch the inhumane massacre of a civilian population — the Palestinian people,” the government statement said.
“Still, we urge residents of the republic not to succumb to provocations of destructive groups and not to create panic in society.”
Anti-Semitic rallies took place over the weekend in other cities of the North Caucasus protesting against Israel’s military campaign.
The Middle East conflict broke out after Hamas militants stormed Israel on October 7, killing hundreds of people and taking more than 200 hostage. Israel retaliated with a military campaign against Gaza, leading to the deaths of some 8,000 people and the destruction of much of Gaza City.
On October 28, a rally was held in Cherkessk, the capital of the Karachayevo-Cherkessia region, demanding that residents of Israel not be allowed in.
On the night of October 29, residents of Derbent in Daghestan protested after false reports of the settling of refugees from Israel in local hotels.
With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and RIA Novosti
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