Local law enforcement agencies responded to the incident immediately as soon as Tatarstan's Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Gorelik reported it to authorities on Wednesday. They have describing the incident as a hate crime and have opened a criminal investigation. The Kazan City Council has issued a statement to condemn the attack, which these officials called "a serious emotional trauma for all [local] citizens." Speaking on behalf of all Jewish residents of the region, Rabbi Gorelik expressed that he is anxiously looking forward to seeing the vandals responsible for this vile act detained and eventually punished.

While Tatarstan is a predominantly Muslim autonomous republic in Russia, the region has traditionally been home for peoples of many ethnicities and religions. Jews have always been able to live here peacefully with their neighbors, a positive fact that was emphasized during the latest meeting between FJC CIS President Lev Leviev and the President of Tatarstan, Mintimir Shaymiyev. A police spokesman noted that was the first major racially motivated act of vandalism to occur in Kazan in many years.

The Jewish community of Tatarstan currently numbers about 10,000 persons. Most of them are originally from Belarus and the Baltic region, having moved here during the Soviet era. While the restoration of the city's historical synagogue was successfully accomplished with the support of Tatarstan's President, local Jewish veterans, senior citizens and poorest community members are in great need a well-functioning system of social and humanitarian support.