Omar Zhanburuaev, who was convicted of taking part in the violent antisemitic riot at Makhachkala airport in Russia’s Dagestan region in 2023, has been killed while fighting in Ukraine.
Zhanburuaev was sentenced in June 2025 to a prison term ranging from five years to six years and eight months after joining the mob that stormed the airport in search of passengers arriving from Israel.
Muslims throw objects on plane that landed at Dagestan airport from Tel Aviv
Omar Zhanburuaev joined the Russian army to ‘atone for his actions’
In January, Zhanburuaev released a video saying he had signed a military contract and joined the Russian army in an effort to change his life and atone for his actions. He said his intention during the airport riot had been to show support for the Palestinians, but acknowledged that he had instead caused harm to his homeland.
According to Shamil Khadulaev, head of Daghestan's Public Monitoring Commission, Zhanburuaev is the latest participant in the airport riot to be killed in combat. Of seven people involved in the unrest who later joined the Russian military, five remain alive, one of them seriously wounded, Khadulaev said.
Another participant in the riots, Muhammad Said Murtazaliev, was previously killed while fighting in Ukraine and was buried in January.
The mass riot took place on October 29, 2023, three weeks after the Hamas massacre and outbreak of the Gaza war. Hundreds of antisemitic rioters stormed Makhachkala airport amid rumors that a plane from Israel was arriving, searching the terminal and tarmac for passengers who had flown in from Tel Aviv. The airport was temporarily closed to arriving and departing flights.
Thirty security personnel and police officers were attacked during the riot, 23 of whom were injured. Following the incident, Russia’s Investigative Committee filed charges against 142 suspects accused of involvement in the unrest.