Man Who Tried to Attack Jews at Makhachkala Airport Killed in Ukraine Fighting

Omar Zhanburov, a father of four convicted for participating in violent riots against Jews at Makhachkala airport 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, he released a video stating he had signed a military contract to change his life and atone for his actions, explaining he went to the airport to show support for Palestinians but ended up harming his homeland. His body was buried in the village of Tarki in Dagestan.

According to Shabdel Adulaev, chairman of the Council of Civil Society Organizations in Dagestan, Zhanburov was one of seven rioters who enlisted in the Russian army; five remain alive and one is severely wounded. The previous fatality among those involved in the airport riots was Muhammad Said Mortzalib, buried in January. The riots erupted in October 2023 after social media rumors spread about the arrival of "refugees" from Israel, leading to a mob breaking into the terminal and runway and clashing with security forces. The Russian Investigative Committee charged 142 suspects related to the incident.