Putin blames Ukraine and the West after anti-Israel mob storms runway to 'catch Jews'
Video footage on social media shows people running through Makhachkala airport in the southern Russian region of Dagestan, reportedly chanting antisemitic slogans. They appeared to be seeking a plane from Tel Aviv.
Monday 30 October 2023 22:49, UK
Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine and Western leaders of stirring up trouble after a Russian airport was forced to close when anti-Israel protesters stormed the runway.
Demonstrators said to be looking for passengers on a flight from Tel Aviv were reportedly chanting antisemitic slogans when they descended on Makhachkala airport, in the southern region of Dagestan, on Sunday evening.
Video footage on social media shows people, mostly young men, breaking down glass doors and running through the airport, with many waving Palestinian flags.
Israel-Hamas war latest: Hostage rescued from Gaza
"Unauthorised citizens" broke on to the runway when a Red Wings flight from Tel Aviv was due to land there, Russian media said.
Now the Kremlin has pointed the finger at Ukraine and the West, alleging the involvement of secret service agents, for helping to whip up unrest on social media in an apparent bid by the US to "create global chaos to ensure its continued dominance".
Speaking at a meeting with security chiefs in Moscow, Putin claimed US-backed forces are trying to destabilise and split Russian society, using "lies, provocations and sophisticated technologies of psychological and information aggression".
"The events in Makhachkala last night were inspired also through social media networks, not least from the territory of Ukraine, by the hands of Western special services," the Russian leader told the meeting.
Earlier, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, accused Ukraine of a "direct and key role" in preparing for that "provocation".
But Ukraine's presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, insisted Kyiv had "nothing to do" with the violence, which has been condemned by Washington.
Around 20 people were hurt, according to local health authorities, before police took over the airport. They say it is now under their full control.
Russia's interior ministry said 60 people have been arrested and 150 of "the most active protesters" have been identified.
Nine police officers were also injured, two of whom were taken to hospital.
Among the passengers was Israeli citizen Shmuel, who told Israeli publication, Ynet, that the passengers were put on a bus that was chased around the airport by rioters, with some throwing stones at them.
The 26-year-old said passengers were questioned about their religion, describing how he claimed to be Muslim because he was "scared to death".
"Fortunately, they believed me and carried on," he said.
The president of Russia's Federation for Jewish communities, Rabbi Alexander Boroda, called for organisers and participants of antisemitic actions to be punished "in the strictest possible manner".
And Sergei Melikov, the head of Dagestan, said the incident was a gross violation of the law, even as Dagestanis "empathise with the suffering of victims… and pray for peace in Palestine".
"There is no courage in waiting as a mob for unarmed people who have not done anything forbidden," he added.
'Allahu Akbar' chants
Footage showed the protesters breaking down glass doors and running through the airport, with some shouting "Allahu Akbar", which means "God is Greatest".
According to Russian news agencies, they also chanted antisemitic slogans.
The identification number on the tail of the plane suggested it had come from Israel, according to tracking website FlightRadar 24.
All flights from the airport, which is in a predominantly Muslim part of Russia, were diverted to others nearby, Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia said.
Security officials said they were able to clear the group from the runway at 10.20pm local time.
The airport will remain closed until "normalisation" of the situation, Russian officials said.
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel expects the Russian authorities to "protect the safety of all Israeli citizens and Jews".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr ZelenAG百家乐在线官网y, who is Jewish, posted on X: "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."
The Supreme Mufti - chief Muslim cleric - of Dagestan, Sheikh Akhmad Afandi, called on residents to stop the unrest at the airport.
"You are mistaken," he said. "This issue cannot be resolved in this way. We understand and perceive your indignation very painfully."
Read more:
Inside Gaza hospital where hundreds are sheltering
Mother reconnects with daughter trapped in Gaza
Arrests at London pro-Palestinian protest
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
The protests were a "knife in the backs of those who gave their lives for the security of the Motherland", he added, referring to the 1999 war in Dagestan and troops currently fighting in Ukraine.
The mob converged after a message on the Telegram channel, Utro Dagestan (Morning Dagestan) - which did not use the word "Jew" but referred to the passengers as being "unclean".
"We need to wait for them on the street outside the airport and catch them before they go their separate ways," it said.
Telegram founder, Pavel Durov, said the social media app will block channels that called for antisemitic violence in Dagestan.
Durov wrote on his own channel: "Channels calling for violence will be blocked for violating the rules of Telegram, Google, Apple and the entire civilised world."
He also posted a screenshot from Utro Dagestan which is said to have contained threats to the tiny community of Jewish people living in the region.
It comes as Israel increases its operations in Gaza in response to the 7 October Hamas incursion.
Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), said it "continues to gradually expand our combat operations according to the plans in order to achieve the goal of the war".
So far, more than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the conflict, according to the Israeli military.
The Gaza health ministry says more than 7,700 Palestinians have been killed.