A resident of Dagestan was sentenced in absentia in the case of the pogrom at Uytash airport.
The Stavropol Regional Court sentenced a resident of Dagestan, Rabadan Ismailov, to 15 years in prison, recognizing him as a participant in the mass riots at Makhachkala airport in the fall of 2023.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the Supreme Court of Dagestan announced the verdict for three alleged organizers of the riots at Makhachkala airport Uytash on April 2. Ilya Ponomarev*, Israil Akhmednabiev (Abu Umar Sasitlinsky), and Abakar Abakarov were sentenced in absentia to terms ranging from 15 to 19 years.
The mass riots at Makhachkala airport occurred on October 29, 2023, due to reports of a plane arriving with passengers from Israel. More than 20 people were injured in the riots. 1200 people were held administratively liable. More than 130 people have already been convicted for participating in the pogrom, with sentences ranging from 6.5 years to 15 years in prison. These events are discussed in the report by "Caucasian Knot" "Wave of Anti-Semitic Actions in the North Caucasus".
The Stavropol Regional Court announced the verdict for Dagestan resident Rabadan Ismailov – an alleged participant in the mass riots at Makhachkala airport. Ismailov's case was considered in absentia.
In addition to the articles on participation in riots (part 2 of article 212 of the Criminal Code) and violation of safety requirements at transport facilities (part 3 of article 263.1 of the Criminal Code), Ismailov was charged with encroachment on the life of a law enforcement officer (article 317 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The court found him guilty on all counts, the Prosecutor's Office of the Stavropol Territory reported on its Telegram channel.
According to the court's verdict, Rabadan Ismailov participated in the riots at the airport "on the grounds of national and religious hatred and enmity towards citizens of Israel." The specific actions he took on October 29, 2023, are not described by the prosecutor's office, which only refers to the overall result of the pogrom.
Like all those previously convicted, Ismailov was named as responsible for the total damage to the airport amounting to over 24 million rubles. "Illegal actions were committed against 30 representatives of the authorities, 23 of whom sustained bodily injuries of varying severity," the message also states.
The court sentenced Rabadan Ismailov to 15 years in prison, with the first three years to be served in prison, and the remainder of the sentence in a strict regime colony. The agency did not specify where the defendant is presumably located now. The Caucasian Knot currently has no comments from Ismailov or his lawyer regarding the verdict.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that Dagestan resident Bakhtiyar Rajabov, who was sentenced to seven years in prison by the city court of Georgievsk in October 2025, became at least the 136th convicted for participating in the pogrom; the investigation previously stated that cases against 139 individuals had been submitted to the courts (excluding three who are wanted).
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