ISW explained why anti-Semitic pogroms occurred in Russia

ISW explained what the anti-Semitic riots in Makhachkala indicate / GettyImages and Collage 24 Channel

Recently, anti-Jewish riots broke out in Russia. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War looked into what exactly these events indicate.

In Dagestan, namely in Makhachkala, anti-Semitic riots broke out on October 29. Russian officials said security forces suppressed them.

Ukraine was made guilty

During the riots, 60 participants were detained. The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs also said that the violators injured at least nine police officers. The head of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, argued that the Russian Guard used physical force as a last resort. Russian sources claimed that rioters threw stones at police, and law enforcement officers responded by firing into the air.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in response to anti-Semitic protests in Dagestan, accused Ukraine of trying to “provoke pogroms in Russia” under Western leadership. In particular, he stated that the demonstrations in Makhachkala were “inspired from the territory of Ukraine by Western intelligence services.” According to Putin, the West is trying to use regional conflicts to break Russia from within.

At the same time, Putin did not specify what measures Russia will take to resolve interreligious conflicts and anti-Semitism in Russia. Kremlin officials largely repeated similar statements to Putin's speech and refrained from directly condemning the rioters.

Russian media incites hatred

These unrest highlight the radicalization and factionalization of Russian society due to hypernationalist ideologies intensified by the war in Ukraine. The director of the NATO Center of Excellence for Strategic Communications, Janis Sarts, said that the events in Makhachkala are one of the manifestations of the radicalization of Russian society as a result of the war in Ukraine and the environment.

Sarts said that the Russian media incited hatred towards Ukrainians, the West and Israel.

The Russian millennial blogger also hinted that the Kremlin's attempts to blame the unrest on foreign psychological and information operations are allowing Russian officials to avoid responsibility for helping to strengthen radical sentiments among Russia's Muslim population. – says the analysts' summary.

Anti-Semitic riots in Makhachkala

• On October 29, Russian citizens began mass protests against Israeli refugees. Consequently, in Russia they are looking for Jews, threatening them with reprisals. Such actions may indicate “flirting” with the Muslim world. Political scientist Yuri Podorozhny spoke about this
• According to him, anti-Semitic riots are an internal game of the FSB. These are methods of control: declare an enemy, and begin to create an association of those living there around him. According to Podorozhny, the situation in Dagestan is generally complex. And it is surprising that it was in the Muslim region that Jewish refugees came when Israel was at war with Palestine.
• In his opinion, calls for the expulsion of Jews from Dagestan were made on purpose, because the region has complex political processes. The Russians once again emphasize that they are real anti-Semites.