Kyiv rejects Russian accusations of inciting Dagestan pogrom

The clashes at Makhachkala Airport in Russia’s Dagestan on Oct. 29, involving hundreds of aggressive locals roaming the premises in search of Israeli nationals arriving on a flight from Tel-Aviv, were the consequences of Russian propaganda cultivating ethnic hatred “for decades,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said in a Facebook post on Oct. 30.

Nikitenko was commenting on Moscow accusing Ukraine and “Western powers” of “inciting” the pogrom. He emphasized that Kremlin's narratives about Kyiv’s involvement are "an attempt to shift the responsibility from a sick mind to a healthy one."

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Nikolenko concludes that events in Dagestan reflect the "deeply rooted anti-Semitism" of Russian elites and society. He recalled the offensive anti-Semitic statements made by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

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"We are deeply convinced that the international community must respond decisively to manifestations of racial hatred in Russia and anywhere else in the world," Nikolenko added.

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Earlier on October 30, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Kyiv of "destabilizing the situation in Russia." She asserts that the unrest at Makhachkala Airport is the result of a "planned and executed foreign provocation."

Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, also claimed that the events at Makhachkala Airport supposedly resulted from "external interference, including external informational influence."

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