Modern Russia has once again been clouded by overt displays of anti-Semitism. Chronicles of recent days have been shaken by reports that anti-Semitic actions took place in the Russian republics of Dagestan, Karachay-Cherkessia, and Kabardino-Balkaria, the main demand of which is to expel Jews from the region.
Thus, footage of an enraged mob storming the airport in Makhachkala on Sunday evening, outraged by the arrival of a passenger plane from Israel, cannot but cause concern. The day before, an anti-Israeli rally took place in Cherkessk, the capital of Karachay-Cherkessia, demanding not to allow Israeli refugees into the region and to evict the Jews residing there. In Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, attackers set fire to a Jewish cultural center. It can be predicted that the wave of hatred will further roll through the territory of the Russian Federation, where Muslims live, therefore, due to the increased threat, representatives of the Jewish community are already being urged to leave the territory and evacuate.
The escalation in the Middle East seems to have caused an intensification of anti-Semitism in Russia, although Russian anti-Semitism and hatred of other nations have deep historical roots here. If we look at Russian history, we can trace that every time the political fate of the country was in danger, the government tried to find a scapegoat and shift dissatisfaction onto the Jewish community. This happened both in the tsarist times and at the end of the Stalinist regime, and perhaps we will see such a course of events today. Anti-Semitism has always been a crucial, obligatory part of Russian chauvinism. Russian propagandists and modern ideologues, such as Dugin and Prilepin, in particular, hated Jews and considered them the main source of evil. Therefore, it can be confidently said that for Russians, anti-Semitism is a traditional norm. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that Russian anti-Semitism and hatred of other nations have a systemic and deeply rooted character, commenting on the incident at Makhachkala airport.
Let us recall that the largest and most terrifying stage of anti-Semitism, known as the Holocaust, was conceived and planned by the Nazi-German regime led by Hitler. At that time, the basis of such a policy was the assertion that German Jews had allegedly betrayed Germany during the First World War and therefore were responsible for its defeat. During the Second World War, the victims of the Nazi policy aimed at the extermination of peoples and groups considered inferior by the Nazis included 6 million Jews. Now Russian chauvinism, which is also based on racist ideology, is trying to shake the world with a new wave of anti-Semitism, seeking enemies within the country. Although nothing new is happening for Russia here. For Russian propaganda, the rhetoric of hatred and imposition of its advantageous narratives to the Kremlin has long been a customary matter. The top officials of the Russian Federation do not shy away from such rhetoric either. It is worth noting how recently both the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin himself allowed themselves anti-Semitic statements bordering on insults. And the notorious Russian propagandist Dmitry Kiselev even found justification for Russian anti-Semitism because, in his opinion, Russia is historically a Muslim country, and for Muslims, according to his definition, anti-Semitism is obviously a norm. It is worth mentioning how a few days ago against this background, meetings took place in the Kremlin with a delegation of the Palestinian group Hamas and statements that Moscow does not see any problem here. Obviously, this is also the norm for the world of terrorism.
In the airport of Makhachkala, the whole world saw the true face of Russian chauvinism and anti-Semitism. Russophobia and anti-Semitism seem to have clouded the minds of Russians, because the "Russian world" is nothing but a world of hatred and impunity. Unfortunately, it must be said that Russian propaganda and Russian state anti-Semitism have every chance of reaching full swing and causing great trouble if not stopped in time. Putin's goal has long been understood - to destroy the modern system of world order, destabilize it, and undermine the principles of democracy. And here parallels between the Russian war against Ukraine and Hamas's attack on Israel are absolutely similar because they have the same goal and are built on the principles of terrorism.
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