"The events in Makhachkala last night were orchestrated, including through social media, not least from the territory of Ukraine. By the hands of Western intelligence agencies," the president said, speaking at a meeting with the heads of Russian law enforcement on Monday.
"We remember how the current round of the Middle East crisis began, with a terrorist attack against Israeli civilians and people from other countries on the territory of this state. But we also see that instead of punishing terrorists, revenge has unfortunately been taken" on the people of Gaza "on the principle of collective responsibility."
"When you look at the images of bloodied, dead children, the suffering of the elderly, the death of doctors, your fists clench, but emotions are unacceptable," Putin said.
"They don't need a lasting peace in the Holy Land, they need constant chaos in the Middle East, so they have done their best to discredit those countries which insist on an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, insist on stopping the bloodshed, and which are ready to contribute to resolving the crisis. Even the United Nations, the clearly expressed position of the international community is subjected to attacks, genuine persecution and attempts to discredit it," Putin said.