Muslim rioters came to the international airport in Makhachkala, the capital of the Russian republic of Dagestan on Sunday evening, in order to harm Jewish Israelis. The crowds waited for an Israeli flight that was supposed to arrive and checked vehicles leaving the airport to try and find Israeli or Jewish passengers. Footage from the scene shows crowds chanting "Allahu Akbar," and according to reports, they also chanted antisemitic chants. The flight, which took off from Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel and was scheduled to land in Makhachkala, was rerouted and landed at a different airport. According to local reports, the rioters also began to search for Israelis and Jews near the airport as well. The incident occurred amid Israel's war in Gaza and the spike in antisemitism around the globe. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister's Office stated: "The State of Israel views with utmost gravity attempts to harm Israeli citizens and Jews anywhere. The Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Council are monitoring the development of events in southern Russia, in the Dagestan district. Israel expects the Russian legal authorities to safeguard the well-being of all Israeli citizens and Jews wherever they are and to take strong action against the rioters and against the wild incitement being directed against Jews and Israelis. Israeli Ambassador to Russia Alex Ben Zvi is working with the Russian authorities to secure the well-being of Jews and Israelis at the site." Shortly after midnight, it was announced that the incident ended without Israeli casualties. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the riot in his rival state in a post on X: "Appalling videos from Makhachkala, Russia, where an angry mob broke into the airport searching for Israeli citizens on the flight from Tel-Aviv. 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 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. 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." A senior security source discussed the riots at the airport in Dagestan and said that the incident is still not over. He added that a relatively small amount of Israelis and Jews are still separated and under security at the airport. "We are working for them to depart from there on a flight to Moscow the moment conditions permit. Israeli security officials and the Israeli Ambassador are working with the local security authorities. The issue is being dealt with on the relevant axes." The Russian authorities are warning the rioters at the international airport in Makhachkala that anyone participating in the riots will be identified using CC footage in the airport and surrounding areas: "Whoever incites ethnic violence and hate will be tried."
