The Hamas terror attacks in Israel have split Russian opinion makers, reflecting a divided sentiment within Russian society.
Officially, the Kremlin has been striving to project an appearance of “neutrality” in response to the Hamas attacks, which killed over 1,300 Israelis including hundreds of children and teenagers. Putin and senior Russian officials have been echoing their familiar refrain about the “need for a just and lasting peace” in the Middle East, emphasizing the creation of a Palestinian state.
Public reaction is quite different, however, and most of the Russian media has ignored the official line. Russian news outlets focused instead on the brutality of the Hamas assault, including the murder of civilians.
Moskovky Kimsooletz, a mass-circulation Moscow-based newspaper with a left-wing tilt, headlined its October 11 coverage “Horror in Israel,” saying, “This was an unspeakable horror of atrocities—there were 40 bodies of babies in a kibbutz completely exterminated in the most brutal way…It is unthinkable, the worst sort of crime.”
The business newspaper Kommersant’s radio station commented, “For years, the Soviet Union one-sidedly supported the Arabs and it didn’t work out too well. Perhaps now that we’re friends with Israel, we should keep that in mind.”
And the Kommersant newspaper reported, “Since [October] 7, the sales of books about Israel increased by 30% in Russia, with titles on Israeli history in first place and books about the Mossad [intelligence agency] in second place.”
On October 17, the prominent news site Lenta.ru interviewed a dozen Israelis, including survivors of the attacks, under the headline, “You don’t know whether you will survive until tomorrow: Residents of Israel talk about the Hamas attack, the suffering they went through, and national mourning.”
Lenta wrote, “The death toll in Israel has now exceeded 1,300 people, and another 199 Israelis, including women, children and the elderly, were captured by militants.”
Some Russian media have denounced the Palestinian militants as war criminals. This stance, most evident during the days immediately following the Hamas attack, is likely to have been tacitly approved by the Kremlin given the state’s control over Russian press and television. The tone has since been somewhat muted, evidently to maintain the facade of “neutrality.”
This position within a significant segment of Russian society is understandable due to the close ties between Russia and Israel, extensive family relationships between Russians and Israelis, the growing popularity of Israel as a vacation destination and the visa-free regime between the two countries.
Additionally, there is an underlying but not overtly expressed prejudice against fundamentalist Muslims, particularly in the wake of two Chechen wars and Islamic fundamentalist terrorist attacks in Russian cities.
However, it is worth noting that not everyone in Russia is sympathetic toward Israel. Some, especially among the older generation influenced by Soviet-era indoctrination, continue to support the Palestinian cause, although their numbers are dwindling.
Despite the Kremlin’s official stance, Russia has not taken any tangible steps to assist the Palestinians, whether diplomatically or militarily. While there are diplomatic efforts around the issue, in reality, Israeli air forces operate freely in Syrian airspace and have conducted numerous airstrikes against Hezbollah targets, including major airports in Damascus and Aleppo, while Russian S-400s and SU-27s have remained stationed idly in their Syrian bases. This current approach could be seen as an effective means of supporting Israel.
Why doesn’t Russia provide more direct and forceful support to Israel? Some individuals close to the Kremlin point to two main reasons.
Firstly, Moscow is keen to preserve its relationship with Iran, which has become a crucial partner for Russia in military and arms cooperation amid Western sanctions. Any significant support for Tel Aviv would jeopardize this relationship.
Secondly, Russia feels slighted by the actions of the current Israeli government. While Israel did not join Western sanctions against Russia, it has provided substantial support to Ukraine, including military specialists, instructors and electronic equipment. The Kremlin is particularly irked by this as it perceives Israel’s actions as a breach of friendship.
Nonetheless, it is clear that a majority of the Russian populace sympathizes with Israel in its fight against terrorism and it is highly likely that the Russian government will limit its support for the Palestinians to diplomatic rhetoric.
Editor’s Note: This version updates original publication with lenta.ru references