MATHIAS HAMMER: Russia has notably not condemned Hamas’s attacks on Oct. 7 as te

MATHIAS HAMMER: Russia has notably not condemned Hamas’s attacks on Oct. 7 as terrorism. Instead, Russian officials have called for both sides to put down arms and reaffirmed its support for a Palestinian state. At the United Nations Security Council, a Russian resolution that called for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages was voted down as it failed to condemn Hamas.
ANDREW OSBORN: Russia’s ties with Israel, traditionally close and pragmatic, have suffered. Moscow’s reception of a Hamas delegation less than two weeks after the Oct. 7 massacre angered Israel, prompting it to summon Russia’s ambassador, Anatoly Viktorov, for sending “a message legitimizing terrorism.”
A former Kremlin advisor said Russia sees the crisis as a chance for Moscow to try to grow its clout in the Middle East by casting itself as a potential peacemaker with links to all sides.
Russia may believe that it can profit from the Israel-Hamas conflict. How so?