Russian prosecutors announced that four individuals have been sentenced to 10 years in a penal colony for their roles in an antisemitic riot at Dagestan’s Makhachkala International Airport on October 29, 2023. The riot erupted after a plane arrived from Tel Aviv, amid heightened tensions over the war in Gaza.

The men—Marat Rabadanov, Radzhab Radzhabov, Magomed Ramazanov, and Zaurbeg Khalikov—were convicted of inciting violence “on the grounds of ethnic and religious hatred and enmity toward citizens of Israel,” according to Stavropol prosecutors. This marks the harshest sentence handed down in connection with the incident.

The riot, involving hundreds of protesters waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Allahu Akbar,” caused $233,000 in property damage, disrupted airport operations, and left 23 authorities injured. The airport was closed for a week following the unrest.

Russian investigators linked the mob to a Telegram channel that incited violence, referring to passengers from Tel Aviv as “unclean.” The channel has since been banned, but its operators remain at large, along with four others accused of participating in the riot.

To date, 38 individuals have been convicted in connection with the attack, as authorities investigate over 130 suspects. The trials were moved to Stavropol to ensure fairness amid concerns about bias in Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region.

Dagestan’s small Jewish community, known as Juhuri, has faced escalating threats, including the burning of the historic Derbent Synagogue in June.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)