The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of spreading antisemitism and playing a “leading and direct role” in anti-Israel airport riots in the Russian Republic of Dagestan on Sunday.
Russian Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova claimed that Ukrainians helped coordinate the “planned and externally-led provocation” that saw mobs first storm Makhachkala International Airport in search of Jewish passengers, forcing flights headed there from Tel Aviv to be diverted.
The plane eventually landed at a nearby airport, which was also raided by pro-Palestinian groups allegedly hunting Jews to attack.
Zakharova did not include evidence to support her claims but also claimed 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 attacked its smaller neighbor.
Russian officials said 60 people had been arrested in Sunday’s airport riots, with Dagestan’s Health Ministry reporting more than 20 people were injured, including two in critical condition. Both police and civilians were among the injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed the incident on Russia’s own actions, accusing its enemies of spreading hatred and referencing other antisemitic incidents that have erupted in Russia’s Muslim-majority regions, including Dagestan.
Moscow blames Ukraine for pro-Palestinian rioters who stormed Russian airports in search of Jewish passengers over the weekend. ZUMAPRESS.com Crowds chant antisemitic slogans at an airport in Makhachkala, Russia, on Sunday.AP
“This is not an isolated incident in Makhachkala, but part of Russia’s widespread culture of hatred against other countries, propagated by state television, experts and authorities,” Zelensky wrote on X.
“The Russian Foreign Minister has made a series of antisemitic statements in the last year. The Russian president also used antisemitic insults. For Russian propagandists speaking on official television, hateful rhetoric is routine.
“Even the latest escalation of the Middle East prompted antisemitic statements from Russian ideologues,” the Ukrainian leader said. “Russian antisemitism and hatred of other countries is systemic and deep-rooted. Hate is what drives aggression and violence. We must all work together to fight hatred.”
Law enforcement personnel prevent protesters from breaching the airport fence in Makhachkala.Telegram / @askrasul/AFP via Getty Images Protesters run on the airport runway in Makhachkala. Telegram / @askrasul/AFP via Getty Images
Horrific footage shows scores of people waving Palestinian flags inside Makhachkala International Airport and causing chaos, causing flights from Tel Aviv to be diverted.
But the airport near where the plane landed was also quickly overrun by mobs, with video showing mobs storming the runway to try to reach the plane as flight staff warned passengers to stay inside.
Footage also shows mobs stopping cars and travelers at the airport and allegedly checking their passports to see if they are Jewish.
Despite the chaos, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said there were no Israelis or Jews on the flight.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has only itself to blame for the rise in antisemitic violence on its territory. ZUMAPRESS.com Pro-Palestinian protesters stormed the grounds of an airport in Russia on Sunday. Telegram / @askrasul/AFP via Getty Images Officers arrest 60 people in airport riots. About 20 people were reported injured.Telegram / @askrasul/AFP via Getty Images
But other Jewish flyers at the airport at the time were collected by security and scheduled to be transferred to Moscow “as soon as possible,” the Jerusalem Post said.
The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem told Reuters that an Israeli ambassador to Russia was working with authorities to protect Israelis in the region.
The horrific drama unfolded after several channels on Telegram broadcast calls for residents of Dagestan, which has an 83% Muslim population, to riot at the airport and wipe out Jewish passengers, according to Medizona, an independent Russian news channel.
On Sunday, White House National Security Council representative Adrienne Watson said the US condemned “antisemitic protests” at airports in Russia.
“The United States strongly condemns the antisemitic protests in Dagestan, Russia,” Watson wrote in X. “The US firmly stands with the entire Jewish community as we witness a worldwide surge in antisemitism. There has never been an excuse or justification for antisemitism.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
