Ru, airport surprise protest as "result of external interference"... Allegations of fake information spread

Putin to Hold Meeting on Resolving Protests on the 30th

The Russian government criticized the violent protests that occurred at an airport in the Republic of Dagestan in southern Russia on the 30th (local time), calling them "the result of external interference."

Ru, airport surprise protest as "result of external interference"... Allegations of fake information spread

The scene of a protest at the airport in the Republic of Dagestan, southern Russia, posted on a Telegram channel [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

According to the daily newspaper The Guardian and others, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, said at a briefing that day, "It is well known and clear that yesterday's incident at Makhachkala Airport was the result of external interference, including the influence of external intelligence."

The previous day, at Makhachkala Airport, the capital of the Republic of Dagestan, at least 150 protesters broke through the airport terminal entrance and stormed the runway after a plane arriving from Israel landed, surrounding passengers and causing chaos. The protesters acted aggressively, claiming they would identify Israelis.

It was reported that at least 20 people, including civilians, were injured in the incident.

Regarding this, spokesperson Peskov claimed that malicious individuals exploited the horrific images of suffering in the Gaza Strip to provoke the people of the Dagestan region, where the majority of the population is known to be Muslim.

Peskov stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been receiving extensive reports from various security agencies and local authorities about the situation and that a separate meeting to resolve the protest issue would be held that evening.

In Russia, reports have emerged that the violent protests were caused by false information. The Russian daily Izvestia reported that fake information circulated claiming that a plane carrying 'Israeli refugees' would arrive in Dagestan, and voices calling for protests on social networking services (SNS) escalated the situation.