Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov appeared to side with Israel on Monday when he said unruly rioters should be shot in the forehead to prevent unrest.
Kadyrov, a Russian President Vladimir Putin loyalist, has ruled the predominantly Muslim southern Russian republic of Chechnya since 2007. He made the remarks in a video on his Telegram channel in response to the antisemitic riots that erupted in Dagestan, also predominantly Muslim, on Sunday, which involved hundreds storming the region’s main airport, brandishing Palestinian flags and reportedly looking for Israeli passengers.
The large mob at the Makhachkala airport came amid an intense conflict between Israeli forces and the Hamas militant group in Gaza. On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history, with Israel subsequently launching its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza in response. Over 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, the Associated Press reported. More than 8,000 people in Gaza have been killed, the AP said.
Putin has hinted at taking a mediator role in the conflict in the Middle East, but has grown closer to Hamas since October 7, an analysis published by the the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank said on October 25.
On October 10, Kadyrov voiced support for Hamas, saying, “We fully support the actions of Palestine because their lands were taken by Israel at one time.”
But on Tuesday, Kadyrov issued shoot-to-kill orders against protesters, responding to the unrest caused by the rioters in neighboring Dagestan.
The Chechen leader was quoted by Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti as ordering Interior Ministry and National Guard forces to detain protesters.
“Otherwise, make three warning shots in the air, and if the person doesn’t obey the law afterward, make the fourth shot in the forehead,” Kadyrov said. “No one else will come out [to protest]. This is my order.”
Kadyrov also warned that any public demonstrations related to the conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas would be “severely suppressed.”
Newsweek reached out to Russia’s Foreign Ministry for comment via email.
Videos circulating on social media showed angry protesters rushing onto the landing field at the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, on Sunday. Some held posters with the slogans “Child killers have no place in Dagestan” and “We are against Jewish refugees,” the Baza Telegram channel, which is linked to Russia’s security services, reported.
TATIANA BARYBINA/Press service of the governor of/AFP/Getty Images
Police detained some 60 people at the airport, which has since been closed by authorities.
By Monday morning, local police said “more than 150 active riot participants” had been identified. According to Baza, about 1,500 people took part in the incident.
Putin has claimed, without evidence, that Ukraine and “agents of Western special services” were behind the riots. United States National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the accusations are “classic Russian rhetoric.”
“When something goes bad in your country, you blame somebody else,” said Kirby. “The West had nothing to do with this. This is just hate, bigotry and intimidation, pure and simple.”
Ukraine Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko issued a statement saying the events in Dagestan “reflect the deep-rooted antisemitism of Russian elites and society.”
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.