Moscow blames Ukraine for anti-Israel riots at Russian airports

The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of spreading antisemitism and playing a “key and direct role” in the anti-Israeli airport riots in the Russian Republic of Dagestan on Sunday.

Russian Foreign Ministry rep Maria Zakharova claimed that Ukrainians helped coordinate “a planned and externally led provocation” that saw rioters first storm the Makhachkala International Airport in search of Jewish passengers, forcing a flight headed there from Tel Aviv to be diverted.

The plane ended up landing at a nearby airport, which also became overun by a pro-Palestinian mob allegedly hunting for Jews to attack.

Zakharova included no evidence to her claims but also alleged that the riots were all a plan to “undermine” relations between Russia’s interfaith communities.

Ukraine has been at war with Russia since February 2022, when the Kremlin invaded its smaller neighbor.

Russian officials said 60 people were arrested in Sunday’s airport riots, with Dagestan’s Ministry of Health reporting more than 20 people injured, including two in critical condition. Both police and civilians were among the wounded.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed the incident on Russia’s own actions, accusing his enemies of spreading hate and referencing other antisemitic incidents that have broken out in Russia’s Muslim-majority regions, including Dagestan.

“This is not an isolated incident in Makhachkala, but rather part of Russia’s widespread culture of hatred toward other nations, which is propagated by state television, pundits, and authorities,” Zelensky wrote on X.

“The Russian foreign minister has made a series of antisemitic remarks in the last year. The Russian President also used antisemitic slurs. For Russian propaganda talking heads on official television, hate rhetoric is routine.

“Even the most recent Middle East escalation prompted antisemitic statements from Russian ideologists,” the Ukrainian leader said. “Russian antisemitism and hatred toward other nations are systemic and deeply rooted. Hatred is what drives aggression and terror. We must all work together to oppose hatred.”

Harrowing footage shows scores of people waving Palestinian flags inside Makhachkala International Airport and causing chaos, prompting the flight from Tel Aviv to be diverted.

But the nearby airport where the plane landed also was quickly overrun by a mob, with video showing rioters storming the tarmac to try and teach the plane as flight staff warned passengers to remain inside.

Footage also depicted rioters stopping cars and travelers at the airport and allegedly checking their passports to see if they were Jewish.

Despite the chaos, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said that there were no Israeli citizens or Jewish people aboard the flight.

But other Jewish flyers at the airport at the time were gathered by security and scheduled to be evacuated to Moscow “at the earliest convenience,” the Jerusalem Post said.

The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem told Reuters that an Israeli ambassador in Russia was working with authorities to protect the Israelis in the region.

The terrifying drama unfolded after several channels on Telegram went up urging residents in Dagestan, which has a Muslim population of 83%, to riot at the airports and root out Jewish passengers, according to Medizona, an independent Russian news outlet.

On Sunday, White House National Security Council rep Adrienne Watson said the US condemns the “antisemitic protests” at the airport in Russia.

“The United States vigorously condemns the antisemitic protests in Dagestan, Russia,” Watson wrote on X. “The U.S. unequivocally stands with the entire Jewish community as we witness a worldwide surge in antisemitism. There is never any excuse or justification for antisemitism.”