A Russian media outlet, revealed that Russian authorities detained and interrogated approximately 40 Israeli citizens who landed at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport on Monday, accusing them of involvement in the ongoing Iran war, highlighting that the Israelis, some of whom hold dual Russian-Israeli citizenship, arrived on a flight from Tel Aviv and were reportedly held for several hours without access to food, water, or bathroom facilities, with security officials demanding that passengers unlock their mobile phones, but the group refused, though authorities eventually settled for requiring all devices to be powered off.

According to a report made by the Jerusalem Post on Monday, 20 April, 2026, a top Russian media outlet citing a source familiar with the incident, reported that during the detention, passengers were called in for individual conversations in which some were explicitly told that the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran under the leadership of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei is Russia’s ally, and that Iran’s enemy is Russia’s enemy,

They also added that the Israelis were then informed that their presence in Moscow, the capital of Russia was not welcome, and that they had come for nothing, adding that before being released, each person was required to sign documents containing warnings about the risk of breaking Russian law, further noting that security officials behaved very politely and carefully while handling the paperwork.

Meanwhile, an Israeli source corroborated the broad outlines of the event to Ynet, stated that the figure of the detained Israelis in Russia is lower, but not by much, than what was stated

It was gathered that the incident at Domodedovo Airport represents a significant escalation in what appears to be Russia’s proactive screening of Israeli travelers, even those holding Russian citizenship, underscoring that the warning that Iran’s enemies are also Russia’s enemies suggests that the Russian Federation under the leadership President Vladimir Putin is willing to take direct action against Israelis on its soil, potentially complicating travel and diplomatic relations between the two countries.

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