On October 29, a crowd of 1,500 people stormed the Makhachkala airport, where a flight from Tel Aviv had landed. The mob was looking for Israeli citizens, threatening them with violence. Mass incidents and protests take place in Dagestan more often than in other Russian regions. The "7x7" online magazine has examined the dynamics of protests in Dagestan since September 2022.
Protests against mobilization. Dagestan protested the strongest against the mobilization in Russia. On September 25 and 26, 2022, around 170 people were detained in Makhachkala. Police used force to disperse the crowds. Women chanted "No to War" and tried to free the detained.
Protests against police abuse. In January, police officers used force against hundreds of people who had blocked a federal highway in the village of Kayakent. The crowd demanded an investigation into the murder of a fellow villager and claimed that the police had released the suspects under pressure from the local authorities.
In May, people in the village of Nizhnee Kazanishche gathered in support of a local doctor who had been detained on terrorism charges. The villagers claimed the surgeon’s innocence.
Protests against land sales and development. In January, residents of the village of Aran demanded the return of their lands, which officials had illegally leased. In the village of Chirkey, in April, after a mass protest, the authorities canceled the sale of a reservoir with drinking water. In July, Buynaksk residents prevented development on the territory of Lermontov Park.
In Novaya Urada, Novaya Shangode-Shitlib, and Tidibe, protests took place against the construction of a landfill site near Europe's largest sand dune. Around 50 people gathered near the hotel where a project presentation was being held. Law enforcement detained eight individuals.
Protests against housing and utilities issues. In September, parents in Oktyabrskoye did not let their children go to the local school because of its unsafe condition. At a public gathering, officials accused them of political speculation, but the head of the republic, Sergey Melikov, admitted that the school needed repairs.
In January, protestors took to the streets in Makhachkala because of heating issues in their homes. In August, also in Makhachkala, people blocked roads nine times within a month because of power and water outages. Police and officials tried to persuade people to go home; the head of Dagestan claimed that it would take years to resolve problems with the aging infrastructure.
Protests against the war in Palestine. In October 2023, Dagestan saw mass protests and car processions with Palestinian flags. Crowds gathered at a hotel to locate and evict Jewish individuals. On October 29, around 1,500 people occupied the Makhachkala airport, where a plane from Tel Aviv had landed. During the disturbances, more than 20 people were injured.
On the evening of October 29, several Dagestani Telegram channels called on local residents to protest against the landing of a plane from Tel Aviv in Makhachkala. A crowd gathered in front of the airport with placards that read "Child Killers Have No Place in Dagestan." The mob stopped automobiles and searched for Israeli citizens.
Around 9 p.m., the crowd breached the airport's barriers and surrounded the plane from Tel Aviv. Some attempted to enter the plane through the wings. A special police unit was dispatched to disperse the demonstration, and the crowd showered them with stones.
Due to the unrest, Rosaviation closed the Makhachkala airport until November 6. However, on October 30, it resumed operations.
Authorities claimed that the protests were incited from abroad. Law enforcement detained around 60 people. Twenty people, including law enforcement officers, were injured. The Investigative Committee launched a criminal case on charges of organizing mass disorder.
