Haifa Woman Murdered Weeks After Suffering Abuse, Leaving Infant Orphaned

Yanina (Yunit) Rusinova, 31, was found stabbed to death in a Haifa stairwell on September 22, leaving behind her two-month-old son. Her husband, Ali Masswada, 28, is the primary suspect and his detention has been extended until October 7, as new evidence strengthens the case against him. Masswada's lawyer claims his client called emergency services and denies the accusations.

According to her friend Diana Marles, Rusinova had recently immigrated to Israel and met Masswada, whom she married. Initially, Masswada appeared caring, but his behavior turned increasingly jealous and controlling after their son was born. Marles recounted that about two weeks before her death, Rusinova sent her a photo showing a bruise from Masswada hitting her. Rusinova reportedly refused to go to the police, fearing Masswada would take their baby, especially as she had no family in Israel.

Rusinova's mother, Anna Rusinova, who lives in Belarus, corroborated the account of Masswada's jealousy, stating that Yanina's life became "hell" after the birth. She mentioned Masswada would call her, accusing Yanina of infidelity and using offensive language. The last communication from Yanina to her mother was via a friend's phone, stating Masswada had separated from her and she would call later.

Masswada's father reportedly intervened after the physical assault, telling his son he should not treat Yanina that way. In the days leading up to her death, Yanina became less responsive to calls, with Marles being abroad at the time. Marles only learned of her friend's death after seeing news reports.

Rusinova is remembered as a creative, funny, and optimistic woman who managed blogs on TikTok and YouTube, learned Hebrew, and cared for her younger sister in Belarus. "She was our little sun, no matter what she went through," Marles said, expressing guilt for not being in Israel during her friend's final days.