Man Convicted in Dagestan Airport Hunt for Israelis Was Killed Fighting in Ukraine

Russian courts later convicted and sentenced more than 130 people for participating in the riot.

By Shula Rosen

A man convicted of joining the antisemitic mob that stormed an airport in Dagestan in search of Israeli passengers has been killed while fighting with the Russian military in Ukraine.

Omar Zhanburuaev was among those prosecuted for taking part in the Oct. 29, 2023, riot at Makhachkala Airport in Dagestan, Russia.

He was sentenced in June 2025 to a prison term ranging from five years to six years and eight months for his involvement in the unrest.

Hundreds of people descended on the airport after a flight arrived from Tel Aviv, Israel, with rioters breaking into the terminal and onto the tarmac while searching for Israeli passengers.

More than 20 members of the security forces were injured during the violence. Russian courts later convicted and sentenced more than 130 people for participating in the riot.

Zhanburuaev subsequently joined the Russian military. In a video released in January, he said he had signed a military contract in an attempt to turn his life around and make amends for his previous actions.

He said that when he joined the airport riot, he had intended to demonstrate his support for Palestinians. Zhanburuaev acknowledged, however, that his actions had ultimately harmed his own country.

Shamil Khadulaev, head of Dagestan’s Public Monitoring Commission, said Zhanburuaev is not the first person involved in the Makhachkala Airport unrest to later die in combat.

Seven participants in the riot subsequently joined the Russian military, according to Khadulaev.

Five of those seven are still alive, although one has been seriously wounded, he said. Zhanburuaev is the latest of the participants who entered military service to be killed while fighting in Ukraine.