Armavir City Court has issued verdicts on five participants in the anti-Semitic riots that took place at Makhachkala Airport last October. Three of the defendants were sentenced to 6 years and 4 months in prison, and two others were given sentences of 6.5 and 9 years, respectively.
It should be noted that on October 29, 2023, mass riots occurred at the airport in Makhachkala in response to the arrival of a scheduled flight from Tel Aviv during the escalation of tensions in the Middle East. Several hundred individuals entered the airport terminal and airfield before being dispersed by law enforcement officers. More than 20 people, including police, were injured as a result of the incident.

It was established that the defendants were part of a crowd and took part in mass unrest at the call of the event organizers at Makhachkala International Airport. Together with the crowd, the defendants searched for passengers of a flight from Tel Aviv and broke through the security cordon, breaking down the doors of the airport terminal and entering the aircraft parking area.

The participants' actions were motivated by interethnic and religious hatred. The incident was condemned by authorities and religious leaders in Dagestan, who called it a provocation. The airport reopened on October 30, and more than 240 people were arrested and fined for their involvement in the unrest. The rioters caused damage to airport property worth over RUB 24 million.

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