A public reaction emerged after events at Makhachkala airport, with journalist Ksenia Sobchak weighing in via a Telegram channel discussion.
According to her analysis, former State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev, who emigrated to Ukraine and is often described as a foreign agent in Russia, could be involved in the situation. Sobchak urged readers to reject hatred based on ethnicity and to consider the consequences of inflammatory rhetoric.
She stated that aTelegram channel linked to Ponomarev had urged participants to act violently at the airport and had promised to organize large antisemitic protests. Sobchak added that Ponomarev lives in Kiev and questioned who funds these projects and which intelligence services may be connected to them, pointing to the broader pattern of provocative activity.
According to Sobchak, the authorities appeared to overlook the provocation for a time, which led to additional checks on the passports of arriving passengers at the terminal.
She warned that allowing hatred to be fed through media and propaganda would fuel medieval xenophobia and result in sudden and severe violence. Sobchak expressed shame that in the 21st century people would still be identified and targeted as “Jews” based on such provocations. She called for the removal of individuals who sow hatred and for a return to normal, constructive media discussion.
Reports noted that on October 29, around 8:00 p.m., several hundred people gathered near the Makhachkala airport building prior to a flight from Tel Aviv. The gathering followed rumors circulating in Telegram channels about Israeli refugees arriving in Dagestan. Protesters blocked vehicles departing the airport and conducted passport checks on people present in the area.
A separate line of commentary drew a controversial comparison between Israel and historical Nazi actions, as cited by some public figures affiliated with the event. This reference triggered further discussion about the appropriateness of such analogies in current discourse and the impact on interethnic relations.
Observers note that the episode highlights ongoing tensions between migration narratives, media responsibility, and public authorities in handling provocative content online. It also underscores the need for clear standards in reporting and for safeguarding communities from scapegoating during periods of heightened insecurity. Attribution: Coverage by major regional outlets and independent commentators, which contextualizes the incident in the broader debate over media responsibility and ethnic tensions.