U.S. Calls Dagestan Antisemitic Riots 'Pogrom', Dismisses Putin's Claim That West Was Behind It

Washington D.C./31.10.23/Turan:    The United States on Monday dismissed Vladimir Putin’s claim that the West or Ukraine were behind Dagestan antisemitic riots, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"That is absurd, obviously," State Department's spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily press briefing, adding that Moscow "should hold anyone responsible accountable."

Putin, without evidence, accused Ukraine and “agents of western special services” after a mob descended on Makhachkala airport on Sunday evening in search of Jewish passengers on a plane that arrived from Israel.

The U.S., Miller said, condemns the violent anti-Semitic events in Russia threatening Israelis and Jews.

"I saw the video, as I’m sure all of you did. It looked like a pogrom to me," Miller told TURAN's Washington correspondent.

"We call on Russian authorities to publicly condemn these violent protests, to hold those – to hold anyone involved accountable, and to ensure the safety of Israelis and Jews in Russia," the spokesperson added.

When asked about Moscow's accusations against the West, the White House National Security Council's John Kirby called it “classic Russian rhetoric: when something goes bad in your country, you blame somebody else.”

“The West had nothing to do with this. This is just hate, bigotry and intimidation, pure and simple,” Kirby told a daily briefing, criticising Putin for not doing more to condemn the violence, which Washington described as “a chilling demonstration of hate”.

“Some people will compare it to the pogroms of the late 19th and early 20th century and I think that’s probably an apt description, given that video that we’ve seen out there,” Kirby said of anti-Jewish attacks.

Alex Raufoglu