In an interview with NBC on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the Kremlin did not influence the 2016 U.S presidential elections, but that perhaps “Jews, but with Russian citizenship,” did.
Asked about allegations that his government interfered during the campaigns, Putin insisted his administration was not involved, adding “maybe they are not even Russians, but Ukrainians, Tatars or Jews but with Russian citizenship.”
The American Jewish Committee said that Putin’s incrimination of the Jewish community was “eerily reminiscent of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a classic anti-Semitic text.
Knesset Member Ksenia Svetlova (Zionist Union), who emigrated to Israel from Russia tweeted, “We are quite familiar with the oldies: ‘Maybe Jews run the world, maybe Jews use blood for their rituals, maybe Jews had slaughtered Jews in Poland. Now comes the latest hit: maybe Jews meddled in U.S. elections.’ ”