Man Convicted for 2023 Anti-Jewish Airport Riot Killed in Ukraine Fighting

Omar Zhanburov, convicted for his role in violent anti-Jewish riots at Makhachkala airport in Dagestan in 2023, was killed in combat in Ukraine. In June 2025, Zhanburov was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison for joining a mob that stormed the airport searching for passengers arriving from Israel, causing significant damage.

In January, Zhanburov released a video announcing he had signed a military contract to serve in the Russian army, aiming to atone for his actions. He claimed his participation in the airport riot was intended to show support for Palestinians but acknowledged the harm caused to his homeland.

According to Shabdel Adulaev, chairman of the Civil Society Organizations Council in Dagestan, Zhanburov is one of several rioters who joined the Russian military and were killed or wounded in Ukraine; of seven involved, five remain alive and one is seriously injured. The previous fatality among the rioters was Muhammad Said Mortzalib, who died in combat and was buried in January.

The October 29, 2023 riot erupted amid the outbreak of war in Gaza, when hundreds of anti-Semitic rioters stormed Makhachkala airport, temporarily shutting it down and attacking security personnel. Thirty security officers and police were assaulted, with 23 injured. A Russian investigative committee charged 142 suspects for their involvement in the incident.