Putin Rails Against US in Dagestan Meeting: 'Scum,' 'Root of Evil'

Russian President Vladimir Putin had harsh words for the United States while speaking out about the recent antisemitic riot at an airport in Dagestan, a largely Muslim republic located in Southern Russia.

A mob of rioters, apparently enraged by the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stormed the airport at Dagestan's capital city of Makhachkala to reportedly hunt for Jews on Sunday night after hearing a rumor that Israeli refugees were landing on a flight from Tel Aviv.

Putin addressed the riot during a press conference at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence on Monday, claiming that it was caused by social media activity orchestrated by "Western intelligence agencies" and Ukraine, which has been fighting a war against Russia since Putin's forces invaded on February 24, 2022.

The Russian president called the U.S. "scum" for allegedly helping Ukraine in "inspiring" the attack through "special services," before denouncing Washington's "global dictatorship." He then compared the U.S. to a "spider" that is at "the root of evil."

"We need to know and understand where the root of evil is, where this very spider, who is trying to envelop the whole planet, the whole world with his web and wants to achieve our strategic defeat on the battlefield, uses the people he has fooled for decades on the territory of today's Ukraine," Putin said, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

Putin said that the U.S. was responsible for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, arguing that the country and its allies were "the main beneficiaries of instability" in the region.

"Those behind the conflict in the Middle East and other regional crises will use their destructive consequences in order to sow hatred, pitting people against each other around the world," he said. "This is the true selfish goal of such geopolitical puppet masters."

Newsweek reached out for comment to the White House via email on Monday evening, but a State Department spokesperson told Newsweek that the U.S. condemns the "violent antisemitic events" in Russia and urges Russian authorities to "publicly condemn these violent protests and ensure the safety of Israelis and Jews in Russia."

Earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that it was "well known and obvious" that the Makhachkala riot was "largely the result of external interference."

White House National Security Council spokesperson mocked Peskov's remarks during a press conference a short time later, sarcastically referring to his rhetoric as "sweet."

"It's classic Russian rhetoric isn't it? When something goes bad in your country, just blame somebody else, blame it on outside influences," Kirby said. "The West had nothing to do with this. This is just hate, bigotry and intimidation—pure and simple."

Over 1,500 people, including over 150 active riot participants, took part in the Makhachkala unrest, according to the Russian security services-linked Baza Telegram channel.

Rioters, some of whom were carrying Palestinian flags, could reportedly be heard chanting "Allahu Akbar" as they stopped cars and checked passports, looking to see if travelers were Jewish or Israeli.

Police arrested 60 rioters. Dagestan's Ministry of Health said that over 20 people were injured, with two left in critical condition. The victims included civilians and police officers, but no Israelis, according to the Associated Press. The passengers on the plane were uninjured.