Russia attributed the disturbance at an airport in Dagestan, where a mob sought Israelis, to “external forces” on Monday. After a group of individuals stormed the airport in the capital of the southern Russian region, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated, “It is widely recognized and evident that the events at Makhachkala airport yesterday were, to a significant extent, influenced by external factors.”
Peskov explained that those with malicious intentions utilized widely circulated images of suffering in Gaza to incite people in the predominantly Muslim North Caucasus region, without specifying who the Kremlin believed was responsible for orchestrating the violence or the reasons behind it.
The Russian interior ministry reported the arrest of 60 individuals after hundreds of anti-Israel protesters breached Makhachkala airport shortly following the arrival of an Israeli plane. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin was scheduled to convene a meeting with his top advisers, including the defense minister and intelligence chiefs, to discuss “Western attempts to exploit Middle East events to sow discord in Russian society,” as conveyed by Dmitry Peskov.
Earlier, Russia’s aviation agency closed Dagestan’s primary airport and redirected flights when a crowd stormed the facility in search of Israeli citizens following reports of an Israeli plane’s arrival.
“Due to the presence of unidentified individuals in the traffic area of Makhachkala airport, it has been decided to temporarily suspend arrivals and departures at the airport,” Rossavitsia stated.
According to Russian state media outlets Izvestia and RT, dozens of men entered the airport and the runway after hearing about an Israeli plane’s arrival. One video depicted a man who had climbed onto the wing of an aircraft belonging to the Russian Red Wings company.
According to Flightradar, a Red Wings flight originating from Tel Aviv landed in Makhachkala at 7:00 pm local time (1600 GMT). One of the men held a sign that read “Killers of children have no place in Dagestan,” and others were heard shouting “Allah Akbar” in videos, according to the news agency AFP.
