Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of stirring up the “deadly chaos” unfolding in the Middle East.
He has also charged the West and Ukraine of stirring up unrest inside Russia. This comes after anti-Israel protestors stormed the Makhachkala airport in Russia’s predominantly Muslim Dagestan region.
Who’s benefiting from the “deadly chaos”?
Speaking during a televised meeting with high-ranking members of his security council, Putin instigated that US and Ukraine orchestrated the riot at the Russian airport via social media, and said “The events in Makhachkala last night were instigated through social networks, not least from Ukraine, by the hands of agents of Western special services.”
The Russian President claimed that there have been “attempts” to destabilise the Russian society.
Accusing US of sowing instability in the Middle East, he questioned, “Who is organising the deadly chaos and who benefits from it today, in my opinion, has already become obvious… It is the current ruling elites of the US and their satellites who are the main beneficiaries of world instability.”
Putin also said that in the wake of the riot to protect “interreligious harmony,” the Russian law enforcement needed to take “firm, timely and clear actions.”
Old habits?
As per news agency AFP, Russia regularly blames domestic unrest on external, usually Western forces.
Putin’s allegations come after the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of playing a “direct and key role” in the Makhachkala airport “provocation”.
However, this accusation was labelled “absurd” by the US. Speaking to reporters on Monday, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said: “I’ve seen their comments about blaming Ukraine. That is absurd.”
“We call on Russian authorities to publicly condemn these violent protests, to hold anyone involved accountable and to ensure the safety of Israelis and Jews in Russia,” he added.
What happened at Makhachkala airport?
On Monday (October 30th) a mob converged at the airport after a Telegram channel “Utro Dagestan” urged locals to meet the “uninvited guests” in “adult fashion” and to get them to turn around and fly somewhere else. As per AFP, while the channel didn’t explicitly mention the word “Jew,” it made reference to “unclean” passengers. The channel was banned later.
(With inputs from agencies)
