The United States on Monday condemned violent antisemitic events that have been reported in Russia threatening Israelis and Jews after rioters in the predominantly Muslim Dagestan region stormed an airport to "catch" Jewish passengers on board a flight from Tel Aviv.
Videos obtained by Reuters from the airport at Makhachkala, the regional capital of Dagestan, showed the rioters, mostly young men, waving Palestinian flags, breaking down glass doors and running through the airport on Sunday evening.
Police said they had arrested 60 people in connection with the unrest and identified 150 of the most active participants.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Washington condemned the incident, and said he had seen videos of events he said "looked like a pogrom to me."
"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," Miller said at a regular press briefing.
Russia's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the violence was the result of "outside influence" and that "ill-wishers" had used images of suffering in Gaza to stir people up. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, accused Ukraine of a "direct and key role" in preparing the "provocation."
Ukraine has denied any role in the unrest.
Miller said the claim Ukraine was to blame was "absurd, obviously."
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