Pro-Hamas rioters briefly overran the Makhachkala International Airport in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan Sunday evening, surrounding a plane from Israel in search of Jewish passengers and shouting antisemitic slogans.

The protestors, shouting “Allahu Akbar” and waving Palestinian flags can be seen in videos posted to social media trying to enter a plane that landed in the republic just north of Azerbaijan from Tel Aviv. Russian forces have since regained control of the airport, a video on X purports to show. 

Another clip showed the passengers surrounding a bus on tarmac, presumably containing passengers. It is unclear if the airport bus contained Jewish or Israeli passengers. However, the caption on the video infers that the bus contained passengers from the Israel flight.  

Another clip showed the passengers surrounding a man on the tarmac. In the video, the man claims he is Uzbek but the mob insists on taking his passport and searching his phone. In yet another clip posted shortly after, Russian guards are seen retaking control of the airport and arresting the remnants of the mob that had been surrounding the plane. 

Earlier videos posted on X showed swarms of rioters storming the airport with Palestinian flags, overwhelming Russian security forces. Prior to searching the airport, a video was released of a mob storming a hotel with the caption, “We are personally checking all the numbers of the Flamingo Hotel.” The crowds were reportedly searching for Jewish guests after rumors circulated Saturday that the hotel was hosting Israeli refugees from the war. 

The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency confirmed the unrest, announcing that the “Makhachkala International Airport in Dagestan has been closed to any further Departures and Arrivals due to Rioters having Stormed the Runways.” 

Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has stated that the “Office of the Prime Minister and the National Security Headquarters” are “monitoring the ongoing situation in the Dagestan region of southern Russia.”

The Ministry exhorted the “Russian law enforcement authorities to protect the safety of all Israeli citizens and Jews wherever they may be and to act resolutely against the rioters who attempt to do them Harm.”

Ukrainian Prime Minister, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, released a statement on X claiming that the protests were part of a larger pattern in Russia of anti-semitism. “This is not an isolated incident in Makhachkala, but rather part of Russia’s widespread culture of hatred toward other nations, which is propagated by state television, pundits, and authorities.”