MAKHACHKALA, Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday accused Ukraine and the West of instigating anti-Israel rioting at Dagestan's Makhachkala airport the day before, an accusation that Washington has called absurd. "The events in Makhachkala last night were instigated through social networks, not least from Ukraine, by the hands of agents of Western special services," Putin said in a televised meeting. It is the current ruling elites of the US and their satellites who are the main beneficiaries of world instability," Putin said. Authorities said 60 people had been arrested, suspected of violently storming the airport and seeking to attack Jews. Also on Sunday, Russian state media reported that a Jewish center in another North Caucasus region — Kabardino-Balkaria — was set on fire.

Source: Manila Times October 31, 2023 17:01 UTC