John Kirby

The US has dismissed as " absurd" claims by Russia that an anti-Israel riot at a Dagestan airport on Sunday was organised by Ukraine and The West .

In a televised meeting on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said The Incident had been part of an attempt to spread " chaos" in Russia.

Hundreds stormed The Makhachkala airport ahead of The Arrival of a flight from Israeli capital Tel Aviv.

Many waved Palestinian flags and chanted antisemitic slogans.

Dagestan, a constituent republic of Russia, has a majority Muslim population, and The Incident is thought to have been sparked by anger over The Conflict in Gaza.

Security forces eventually brought The Situation Under Control , and More Than 60 People have since been arrested, according to local authorities.

" The Events in Makhachkala Last Night were instigated through social networks, not least from Ukraine, by The Hands of agents of Western special services, " Mr Putin told a meeting of Russia's Security Council.

" Who is organising The deadly chaos and who benefits from it today, in my opinion, has already become obvious.

" It is The current ruling elites of The US and their satellites who are The main beneficiaries of world instability. "

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that " against The backdrop of TV footage showing The Horrors of what is happening in The Gaza Strip - The deaths of People , children, old People - it is very easy for enemies to take advantage of and provoke The Situation ".

The Governor of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, also said The riots had been incited " from The Territory of Ukraine by traitors" using a Telegram channel called Morning Dagestan.

Morning Dagestan is an Islamist channel that opposes Russian control of The region and has been associated with Ilya Ponomarev , a former Russian MP who defected to Ukraine in 2016 and was granted Ukrainian citizenship.

On Sunday, The of a flight arriving in Makhachkala from Tel Aviv and told its followers to " meet The Unexpected visitors".

Following Mr Melikov's comments, The channel posted a statement saying it had No Connection to Mr Ponomarev or Ukraine. Mr Ponomarev has said he stopped supporting The channel Last Year , although his own statements in recent months contradict this claim.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned The Airport riot.

Asked about Russia's claims at a White House briefing, John Kirby , spokesperson for The US National Security Council, described them as " classic Russian rhetoric".

" When something goes bad in Your Country , you blame Somebody Else , " He Said .

" The West had nothing to do with this. This is just hate, bigotry and intimidation, pure and simple. "

He also said comparisons between footage from The Airport and The pogroms of The late 19th and early 20Th Century were " apt".

Video circulated widely on Social Media showed a large crowd of People storming through The Airport , forcing Open Doors and spilling out onto The Runway .

Some were also seen stopping cars outside and demanding to see The Passengers ' documents in an apparent search for Israeli passports.

Russia's health ministry said 20 People , including some police officers, had sustained injuries and that two were in a Critical Condition .

After The Incident , Mr Melikov said that " all Dagestanis empathise with The Suffering of victims by The actions of unrighteous People " but described The Events at The Airport as " outrageous".

A statement from The Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said The Israeli government viewed " with utmost gravity attempts to harm Israeli citizens and Jews anywhere".

" Israel expects The Russian legal authorities to safeguard The well-being of all Israeli citizens and Jews wherever they are and to take strong action against The rioters, " it said.

Source of news: bbc.com