Putin foe stabbed to death in Istanbul villa where he lived in exile

One of Vladimir Putin’s foes has been found dead in Turkey where he had been living in exile under a different name.

Abakar Abakarov, who ran the Telegram channel ‘Morning Dagestan’, suffered multiple stab wounds, but the exact circumstances surrounding his killing have not yet been disclosed.

A cleaner discovered his body in a pool of blood at a rented villa in Istanbul on Friday after he has been missing for more than a week.

The 49-year-old had been living under an assumed name, while trying to flee Russian hitmen, local media has reported.

Abakarov was put on Russia’s international wanted list after being accused of inciting anti-Kremlin riots in Dagestan through his channel.

He fled the country after the unrest at Makhachkala International Airport in 2023, which saw an antisemitic mob storm the airport.

Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters arrived at the airport as a plane from Tel Aviv landed.

The unrest happened just three weeks after the Hamas massacre on Israel on October 7.

More than 20 people were injured during the clashes, including nine police officers.

Shortly before the attack, the Telegram channel had broadcast antisemitic slogans and had called for the expulsion of alleged ‘refugees from Israel’.

At the time, Putin said: ‘The events in Makhachkala were inspired, including through social networks, partially from the territory of Ukraine, by the hands of the  Western intelligence agencies.’

Earlier, Turkish newspaper Yenisafak reported that the body of a murdered man was found in an Istanbul villa on October 7.

The man had reportedly checked in on October 6 and received a guest the following day, who left with two bags.

The victim had no identification, but police reported that he was a citizen of another country.

The Turkish authorities launched an investigation but have not commented on the case. 

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.