At least 10 injured as crowd storms Russian airport after flight arrives from Tel Aviv, officials say
At least 10 people are injured after a crowd stormed an airport in southern Russia following the arrival of a flight from Tel Aviv, according to a statement by the Dagestan health ministry late Sunday.
The Makhachkala Uytash Airport in the Republic of Dagestan has temporarily closed and flights have been diverted after "unknown persons" broke into the airport Sunday, according to a statement released by the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency.
Multiple videos posted on social media show a crowd of people inside the airport and on the airfield, some waving the Palestinian flag, others forcing their way through closed doors in the international terminal. The crowd entered the airport after a flight from Tel Aviv landed on Sunday, according to Russian state media TASS.
TASS reports that "those gathered oppose the Palestinian-Israeli conflict."
The injured are a mix of police officers and civilians, according to the health ministry, which said two people are in "critical condition."
The Red Wing Airlines flight from Tel Aviv arrived Sunday at 7:17 p.m. local time (12:17 p.m. ET), according to Flight Aware.
Officials react: The Israeli prime minister's office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a joint statement, saying Israel's government is monitoring developments at the airport.
"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," the statement added.
The United States also called on Russia to protect Israelis and Jews.
In a post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Amb. Deborah E. Lipstadt, condemned the incident.
“We condemn the violent protests that have been reported in Russia threatening Israelis and Jews. We call on Russian authorities to ensure their safety," Lipstadt said.
Sergey Melikov, head of the Dagestan Republic, also denounced the unrest in a message on Telegram.
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