The war between Israel and Hamas appears to have been transferred to Russia. The airport in Makhachkala, the capital of the Muslim-majority Russian republic of Dagestan, was forced to close this Sunday after several dozen pro-Palestinian protesters invaded it following the announcement that a plane from Israel was due to land there. Israel then called on Russia to “protect” its citizens.
What happened ?
Several dozen men entered the tarmac and terminal of the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, on Sunday evening when it became known that a plane from Israel was scheduled to land there.
According to the media Izvestia and RT, these activists stormed onto the roof of the airport and onto the tarmac. Videos posted on Telegram show dozens of men – some wearing Palestinian colors – breaking barriers, trying to control cars leaving the airport or breaking down doors inside the terminal. One of the videos shows a man positioned on one of the wings of a Russian Red Wings aircraft.
Before entering the terminal, several protesters also attempted to check the passports of people leaving the airport in search of Israeli citizens. One of them held a sign that read, “Child murderers have no place in Dagestan.” Others shouted “Allahu akbar” in these videos.
The airport was closed and flights were diverted to other airports, the aviation authority said. “After the intrusion of unknown persons into the traffic zone of Makhachkala Airport, it was decided to temporarily close the airport to arriving and departing flights,” Rossaviatsia said. Rossaviatsia said later in the evening that the attack had ended but that the airport would remain closed until November 6.
The situation was “under control,” the Dagestan government later assured on Telegram. The incident reportedly ended at 10:20 p.m. (8:20 p.m. Paris time). “Due to the incident at Makhachkala airport, there are injured people who are receiving medical attention,” the Health Ministry said on Telegram, without providing further details.
What kind of plane was it?
According to the specialist website Flightradar, a Red Wings plane from Tel Aviv landed in Makhachkala at 7 p.m. (5 p.m. in Paris). According to the independent Russian media Sota, it was a transit flight that was scheduled to take off again towards Moscow at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. in Paris). It cannot currently be clarified whether the aircraft was still on the tarmac and what the situation of its passengers was.
A call for calm from the authorities
In the middle of the evening, Dagestan authorities called on the crowd to stop their “illegal acts.” Earlier in the day, the information minister of the neighboring republic of Chechnya, Akhmed Dudayev, called on Telegram to remain calm and avoid “provocations” in view of the increasing tensions in the Russian Caucasus. Attacks on Jews “will play into the hands of our enemies who are deliberately provoking the world in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he said in a video.
“What is happening now in Makhachkala is bad. Very, very bad,” commented the head of the pro-Kremlin broadcaster RT, Margarita Simonian, on X (ex-Twitter).
Until then, what happened in Machachka, so be it. Очень-очень плохо. Interesting, even organized.
— Margarita Simon (@M_Simonyan) October 29, 2023
Chechnya and Dagestan are two unstable republics in Russia whose populations are majority Muslim.
Israel calls for “protection” of its people
Israel, for its part, called on Russia to “protect” its citizens. “Israel expects the Russian authorities to protect all Israeli citizens and Jews and to take decisive action against rioters and incitement to violence against Jews and Israelis,” the office said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed in a statement that Israel “views attempts to do this seriously.” attack Israeli citizens and Jews around the world.”