Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at the United States, accusing it of being the “scum” behind the recent anti-Semitic riot that shook Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim republic in Southern Russia. The violence erupted when a mob, incensed by the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stormed the airport in Dagestan’s capital city of Makhachkala, hunting for Jews based on a false rumor about Israeli refugees arriving on a flight from Tel Aviv.
Addressing the press at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence, Putin asserted that the riot was orchestrated by “Western intelligence agencies” and Ukraine, a country embroiled in conflict with Russia since Putin’s forces invaded in 2022. He accused the U.S. of aiding Ukraine in “inspiring” the attack through covert operations and condemned what he termed Washington’s “global dictatorship.” Putin went on to compare the U.S. to a malevolent “spider” ensnaring the entire planet in its web, describing it as the “root of evil.”
“We need to know and understand where the root of evil is, where this very spider, who is trying to envelop the whole planet, the whole world with his web and wants to achieve our strategic defeat on the battlefield, uses the people he has fooled for decades on the territory of today’s Ukraine,” Putin asserted, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Putin contended that the U.S. and its allies were the “main beneficiaries of instability” in the Middle East, holding them responsible for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and branding them as “geopolitical puppet masters” sowing hatred and division globally.
In response to the violence, the White House condemned the “violent anti-Semitic events” in Russia, urging Russian authorities to publicly denounce the protests and ensure the safety of Israelis and Jews in the country.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attributed the Makhachkala riot to “external interference,” a statement mocked by White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby during a press conference. Kirby dismissed the Russian rhetoric as an attempt to shift blame, emphasizing that the incident was rooted in “hate, bigotry, and intimidation—pure and simple.”
During the unrest, over 1,500 individuals, including 150 active participants, took part in the rioting. Rioters, some carrying Palestinian flags, chanted “Allahu Akbar” as they halted vehicles and scrutinized passports, targeting travelers believed to be Jewish or Israeli. Law enforcement arrested 60 rioters, and more than 20 people were injured, with two in critical condition. Notably, the passengers on the plane were unharmed.
The incident has escalated tensions between Russia and the United States, deepening the rift between the two nations. As investigations into the incident continue, the world watches closely, wary of the potential repercussions of this latest episode in the ongoing conflict between the global superpowers.
