Muslim-majority Dagestan has long shown support for the Palestinians. Russian researcher Ivan U. Klyszcz believes that the airport raid was possibly a grassroots spontaneous act.
In the Caucasus Dagestan, which is located in Russia and has a population of three million, made headlines over the weekend when a group of anti-Israel protesters rioted at the airport.
Russia has already shifted the responsibility for the protest to Ukraine and Western countries. The protesters were allegedly motivated about rumors circulating on social media that Israeli refugees would be settled in the Caucasus.
The Muslim-majority North Caucasus has long shown support for the Palestinians, says a researcher working at the Estonian Center for International Defense Research Ivan U. Klyszcz.
According to Klyszcz, the anti-Israel and pro-Palestine narrative is fueled by the region’s political leaders, such as the leader of Dagestan’s neighboring republic of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov.
Kadyrov has in recent days communicated diligently on his Telegram channel about the suffering of Gazan civilians. He has also called the Israeli government fascist.
Russian researcher Klyszcz considers it possible that Kadyrov’s speeches have motivated the demonstrators. Muslims all over Russia follow Kadyrov and consider him their leader, says Klyszcz.
According to the researcher, Kadyrov uses religion as a tool to achieve his own political goals.
“He is trying to legitimize his own position by presenting a Muslim leader on the stage of world politics,” says Klyszcz.
In reality, Kadyrov’s leadership is based on corruption, coercion and the support of the Russian leadership.
News agencies hundreds of protesters stormed the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, on Sunday. The demonstrators waved the Palestinian flag, broke glass doors and ran up to the runway, the news agency Reuters reports.
The riot happened at the same time as the flight from Tel Aviv landed at the airport in Makhachkala.
According to pictures published on social media, one of the posters held by the protesters read “There is no room for child killers in Dagestan,” Reuters reports.
At least 20 people were reportedly injured during the demonstration.
Klyszcz does not believe that the demonstration at the airport was orchestrated by any higher political level. According to him, it was possibly a spontaneous action at the grassroots level.
In Dagestan, sentiment against the country’s leadership has been shown more widely than in the rest of Russia. Dagestanis took to the streets, for example, a year ago, when Russia announced a partial suspension of the movement.
According to Klyszcz, it is difficult for the Kremlin to keep Dagestan in its grip.
The area is home to numerous ethnic groups, and the mountainous terrain is difficult. Dagestan is an extremely poor region, and there are few jobs available.
A lot of men have left the Republic to fight in Ukraine. A relatively large number of them have also died there.
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Klyszcz does not believe that the demonstration at the airport was orchestrated by any higher political level.
Russian according to the police, 60 people were arrested for the airport riot.
Klyszcz considers the Kremlin’s reaction very typical. First it is said that the riot was caused by foreign agitation, and then it is stated that the situation is under control and the culprits have been arrested, he describes.
Russia has also blamed Ukraine for the situation. The adviser to the President of Ukraine replied that Ukraine “of course has nothing to do with the recent rise of widespread xenophobic sentiments on the territory of Russia.”
According to Klyszcz, it is not at all certain that Russia has arrested the demonstrators in particular, but it is enough that some people have been arrested.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin plans to discuss the events in Dagestan on Monday night with Russia’s top political and intelligence leadership, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told his daily press conference on Monday.
Russian the reactions to the terror act of the terrorist organization Hamas in early October and the war in Gaza that started from it have raised questions about Russia’s goals.
Russia has not directly condemned Hamas’ act of terrorism. Putin’s first comments on the situation in the Middle East after the Hamas attack focused on rooting for the failed US policy in the Middle East.
The Hamas leadership visited Moscow last week and met, among other things, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia.
The US newspaper The New York Times wrote after Russia’s aspiration is to maintain the role of mediator in the Middle East.
Researcher Klyszcz, on the other hand, is of the opinion that Russia has already abandoned the role of mediator.
“Russia is now using its relations with Palestinian groups to get leverage on Israel so that Israel stops supporting Ukraine,” says Klyszcz.
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