Putin's Israel dilemma: How far does Kremlin go in support of Palestinians?

An angry mob last Sunday overran the tarmac in the Muslim-majority Russian Republic of Dagestan. They had caught wind of a flight in transit from Tel Aviv and were searching for Israelis. Why the anger? We about Moscow blaming the incident on Ukraine, whose Jewish president was among the first to denounce the October 7 massacre by Hamas. 

In the nearly two years since Vladimir Putin’s invasion, Israel has given Russia a wide berth as part of a quid pro quo: Moscow stays silent when the Israelis bomb Iran-aligned militias in Syria and the Israelis stay out of it in Ukraine and continue to welcome Jewish oligarchs. Now, are all bets off? More broadly, how does the Middle East impact a former Soviet space that’s home to both Jews and Muslims?

Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Louise Guibert and Lila Paulou.

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