The airport in Makhachkala, the capital of the Republic of Dagestan (southern Russia), was stormed by anti-Israel people on Sunday evening. Sixty people who apparently came to intimidate passengers on a flight from Tel Aviv were arrested and nine police officers were injured. The leader of Dagestan accuses Ukraine of being behind the unrest.
Published on: 10/30/2023 – 08:27
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The images shared on social networks are frightening. Several dozen people broke into the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, on Sunday, October 29, to attack passengers on a flight from Israel.
When the security forces intervened, almost sixty people were arrested and nine police officers were injured. According to the official RIA press agency, they are among the 150 most vicious demonstrators identified by the police.
Dagestan is a Muslim-majority republic in the Russian Caucasus. In a video obtained by Portal, a crowd of mostly young men can be seen waving Palestinian flags, breaking windows and running through the airport shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is great).
Passengers on the plane are “in a safe place”
Russia’s aviation agency Rosaviatsia said its security teams evacuated all protesters at 10:20 p.m. local time. Security sources told Portal that the plane’s passengers from Israel were “in a safe location.” Rosaviatsia said the airport would remain closed until November 6 while Russian authorities launched a criminal investigation.
The USA, for its part, is holding “anti-Semitic demonstrations” in Dagestan. “The United States stands unequivocally with the entire Jewish community as we witness a rise in anti-Semitism around the world. There is never an excuse or justification for anti-Semitism,” tweeted White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson.
The United States strongly condemns the anti-Semitic protests in Dagestan, Russia. The United States stands unequivocally with the entire Jewish community as we witness a global rise in anti-Semitism. There is never an excuse or justification for anti-Semitism.
– Adrienne Watson (@NSC_Spox) October 30, 2023
The leader of Dagestan accuses Ukraine of staging unrest
The leader of this republic, Sergei Melikov, assured on Monday morning, without providing any evidence, that these riots were organized from Ukrainian territory, in the midst of the armed conflict between Kiev and Moscow.
“The initiators of this action are obviously our enemies, those who organized these actions from the territory of Ukraine,” he told the press, quoted by Ria-Novosti news agency. He claimed that an anti-communal Telegram channel, “Outro Dagestan,” was managed by “traitors” from Ukraine.
This channel, followed by around 60,000 people, called for a gathering at Makhachkala airport on Sunday evening and declared that they wanted to prevent the arrival of “unwanted” passengers on the Red Wings flight from Tel Aviv.
Israel called on Russia to protect Israeli nationals
The incident came a day after a fire at a Jewish center under construction in Nalchik, the capital of the neighboring republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, local emergency services officials said.
After the airport incident, Israel called on Russia to protect Israeli nationals and Jews. The Israeli ambassador to Moscow is in contact with Russian authorities, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement, saying it takes “seriously” any attempt to harm Israeli and Jewish citizens anywhere in the world.
There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin. Russia is trying to maintain contact with all parties involved in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, but angered Israeli authorities by inviting a delegation from the Palestinian group to Moscow last week.
With AFP