Abakar Abakarov, a Dagestani citizen and opposition activist wanted by Russian authorities for his alleged role in organizing an antisemitic pogrom at a Russian airport in October 2023, was found stabbed to death on Friday in a leased villa in Istanbul, Turkish officials said.
Abakarov, who ran the Telegram channel Utro Dagestan (“Morning Dagestan” in Russian), was discovered dead after apparently employing a false name to lease the villa on October 6 as he sought refuge from political persecution in Russia. Turkish police opened a criminal investigation following his death.
Hundreds of Muslim demonstrators gather at the entrance to Makhachkala Airport in the Russian Republic of Dagestan, reportedly seeking to confront Jewish passengers arriving on a flight from Tel Aviv, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023
Russian authorities had placed Abakarov on their wanted list in November 2023, accusing him of incitement and attributing to him one of three main leadership roles in the pogrom at Makhachkala Airport in the Republic of Dagestan, where protesters targeted a flight from Tel Aviv, chanting antisemitic slogans and attempting to hunt for Jewish passengers.
Turkish investigators say surveillance footage shows a visitor arriving at the villa on October 7 carrying two suitcases and departing soon afterward. Abakarov’s cause of death was identified as multiple stab wounds, and the body was transferred to a forensic institute for examination.
In a statement, the Dagestani expatriate community in Turkey condemned the killing as “an attack on the freedom of the Dagestani people,” describing Abakarov as the “voice of truth” against injustice in Russia. The statement called on God to “reward his courage” and extended condolences to his family.
Still, his published record of antisemitic rhetoric and his alleged role in fomenting the airport violence have raised widespread concern. That unrest injured around 20 people and triggered multiple detentions; Russian courts have since handed down prison sentences to several participants.
Civil‑society observers note the killing raises urgent questions about the safety of Russian exiles abroad and the reach of transnational repression. “It’s very hard to believe the Israeli Mossad or Turkish intelligence would kill someone with a knife,” said Russian-born Israeli media expert and social activist Alex Tenzer, pointing instead to broader patterns of threat facing dissidents.
Further details of the investigation remain sealed by Turkish authorities, and no arrests have yet been publicly confirmed in connection with the slaying. The Russian prosecution offices in Dagestan have already forwarded Abakarov’s case to the republic’s Supreme Court.