Russian President Vladimir Puttin neglected to call and offer his condolences to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or to President Issac Herzog or express any criticism of the horrific massacre perpetrated by Hamas, in contrast to the steadfast support from U.S. President Joe Biden who dispatched his largest and most advanced aircraft carrier to the region.
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Despite Russian nationals being among the dead, injured, or abducted, Moscow has remained eerily silent about support for Israel and has found convoluted justifications for the barbaric actions of Hamas.
The first time Putin even referenced the war in a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shayya' Sabbar al-Sudani. He said the Palestinian issue must be solved by establishing a sovereign Palestinian state. "What is happening is an unfortunate result of Washington's attempts to end the conflict, which does not take the Palestinian people's basic needs into account," Putin said. "By that, I mean the UN resolution to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state."
Putin called on both parties to "minimize damage to civilian populations", possibly a hint for Israel to abandon its aerial Gaza offensive. The Russian President, in power since 2000, did not condemn Hamas for the massacre nor did he express support for Israel's self-defense efforts. He had said in the past, that he was committed to Israel's security and referenced over a million Russians living in Israel.
Hailing Hamas' military prowess
Russian analysts lavished much praise on the military capability shown by Hamas, and given the fact that the United States offered its unqualified support for Israel, it seems that in and of itself is automatically driving the Russians to support the other side. A sort of mini proxy war between the two nuclear superpowers.
In the days since the onset of the bloody conflict, Russian citizens have been seen approaching the Israeli embassy in Moscow to place flowers and light candles for Israeli victims of the massacre. Russian authorities, however, have shown their displeasure at the gestures, even stopping a Russian woman who carried a sign decrying terrorism.
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A man places flowers outside the Israeli embassy in Moscow
(Photo: Yuri Kochetkov / EPA )
Russian accounts on Telegram and other propagandists, affiliated with Putin, have expressed support for Hamas and criticized Israel. "This is useful for Russia because the world's toad (a derogatory term for the United States) will leave Ukraine and shift their attention to the Middle East," one wrote.
"Revenge for murdering Palestinian children"
A different account published a troubling video of the murder of Israeli children with the caption "Revenge for murdering Palestinian children", while another published an image of an Israeli woman who according to Palestinians, has been taken captive and sarcastically wrote: "By the way, Israel recently signed a Visa Waiver with the US, so this Jew died happy."
Former Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, laid the blame at American feet for neglecting the Israeli-Palestinian issue, instead pitting two neighboring countries, Russia and Ukraine, against each other.
The Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, failed to condemn Hamas, instead calling for an immediate ceasefire, relinquishing violence and exercising restraint.
Avoiding expressing support for Israel does not end with senior Russian officials. In Kaliningrad, police have forbidden placing Israeli flags in the city square, after locals began placing flowers. "An Israeli flag is akin to a Ukrainian one, both are helped by NATO," local police said. They added that such things are better held near synagogues.
"An uprising by prisoners with nothing to lose"
The Russian press, while avoiding mention of the massacre, equated the situation inside Gaza to concentration camps in Nazi Germany. "Israel transformed Gaza into a concentration camp and labeled its residents as animals," said Komsomolskaya Pravda, a daily Russian tabloid with huge circulation.
"Despite conditions in Gaza rivaling that of a concentration camp, Palestinians won't leave even under the threat of carpet bombing," The state-owned RIA Novosti said. They further justified Hamas's actions by saying "It's an uprising by prisoners with nothing to lose. They've grown tired of being humiliated and being dependent on an enemy that is stronger than they are."
Relieving Iran of any responsibility for the Hamas massacre, they mocked Israel by saying it's "a privileged state, another star on the American flag, and it's clear to everyone that fighting Israel means fighting the United States."
Outside of Russia
In Belarus, reactions to the war are the same. Journalist Igor Molotov, a columnist in the state-owned 'Russia Today', said "A Palestinian victory is also a Belarussian and Russian victory.'
Molotov even called for a detonation of a thermo-nuclear bomb over Israeli skies. "Palestinians are resisting Israeli fascism. Those who speak of the Holocaust have themselves become war criminals. Today, we are all Palestinians."
Another country with press hostile to Israel, possibly due to geo-political considerations, is Armenia. A columnist in the 'Armenian Report' wrote: "There's divine justice with Israel feeling a sense of fear, desperation and helplessness. Not only is Israel guilty of heinous crimes against Palestinians, it has also taught Azerbaijan how to operate against residents of Nagorno-Karabakh."
Referring to the munitions support Azerbaijan received from Israel, he further wrote: "Ethnic cleansing was committed by Israeli arms supplied to Azerbaijan, but it isn't perfect. Turns out this acclaimed Iron Dome is simply incapable of handling that many rockets thrown at it. Many Israeli cities found themselves defenseless. Azerbaijan relies heavily on this Israeli Iron Dome. I think they'll soon realize they've overly estimated this system."
"We call on both sides to implement immediate ceasefire"
When prompted for a response on their position, the Russian embassy conveyed the following: "We've established our position clearly. It is unacceptable to exercise violence, cause damage, kill civilians (on both sides) or take women and children hostage. We condemn any and all acts of terror against civilians. This is our state position, as emphasized by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on October 9."
An announcement from the Foreign Ministry itself was equally vague: "Our deepest condolences over the tragic events which caused many to be hurt, and out support for the victims' families, and a speedy recovery for anyone wounded.
"In this matter, we'd like to clarify our consistent position, that this conflict cannot be reconciled by force. Only through negotiations based on the framework of a viable Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, coinciding peacefully with Israel."
"The current escalation is another dangerous expression of a magic circle of violence stemming from chronic disobedience to UN Security Council resolutions, and the West blocking the work of the Quartet, made up of Russia, the United States, the EU and the UN. We call on both sides for an immediate ceasefire, an end to the violence, exercising restraint and beginning a negotiation designed to accomplish a just peace in the Middle East."