Dagestan fighters called on the authorities “not to ruin the fate” of the participants in the pogrom in Makhachkala

European freestyle wrestling champion Makhmud Magomedov published on Instagram (owned by Meta, banned and recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation) an appeal to the government of Dagestan with a request “not to break the fate” of the participants in the pogrom at the airport in Makhachkala on October 29. The appeal was posted on October 31. Currently, several MMA fighters representing Dagestan have reposted Magomedov’s post, including ex-UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and fighter Muhammed Mokaev.

In his appeal, Makhmud Magomedov asks local authorities, including the head of the republic Sergei Melikov, “not to ruin the fate of young guys” and “punish them demonstrably” so that “others will be afraid.” “On the contrary, show a gesture of kindness that you are willing to meet them halfway and are giving amnesty. And if it happens again, punish it more severely,” he wrote. According to him, those detained at Makhachkala airport should be “given a second chance” and the preventive measure should be changed to administrative, and those who “organized this mess” in Telegram channels should be punished.

Khabib Nurmagomedov reposted the publication of Magomedov’s appeal on Instagram, commenting on it with the phrase: “Allah is forgiving and loves those who forgive.”

Today, October 31, mixed martial arts fighter Rustam Khabilov published another statement in support of the rioters at the airport on Instagram. In it, he stated that Dagestanis are “a very peace-loving, patient and restrained people” who are distinguished by “love and hospitality towards both fellow believers and representatives of other faiths.” According to him, the riots at the airport occurred due to “accumulated emotions” from the “everyday horror that is happening in Palestine.” His post was published on their Instagram pages by ex-UFC champion Islam Makhachev and fighter Muhammed Mokaev, who also reposted Magomedov’s appeal.

On the evening of October 29, several thousand people gathered near Makhachkala airport due to information in local Telegram channels about the arrival of a flight from Tel Aviv with Israeli citizens on board. Protesters chanted slogans in support of the residents of the Gaza Strip. The crowd broke into the airport building and then entered the runway. Videos were published online showing rioters conducting an “inspection” of the passports of arriving passengers in order to find Israelis among them.

The Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for Dagestan opened a criminal case under the article on mass riots (Article 212 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). According to the latest datathe number of those arrested in the case of participation in the riots increased to 15, another 2 were assigned 60 hours of compulsory labor.

Read more about the situation in Makhachkala in the Kommersant article. “The riots were approached under the Code of Administrative Offences”.