Shot in Caesarea: the head of the "Caucasian mafia" was killed in Israel
In the center of Israel, in front of the visitors of a cafe at a gas station in Caesarea, a killer shot Yanis Yushvaev at point-blank range. The 45-year-old crime boss died on the spot. What is known about the audacious murder, its victim, and how Yushvaev's death can change the balance of power in the Israeli criminal underworld, where immigrants from Russia and the former Soviet Union have long settled, is in the Izvestia article.
How they were killed
The crime was committed on the afternoon of August 23. The killer was waiting for the victim at the entrance to the Adjenda cafe at a gas station in Caesarea. According to local journalists, Yushvaev often dined at this establishment, so his schedule was well known. Surveillance footage shows a man in a white T-shirt and cap waiting for Yushvaev to leave the cafe, then coming up from behind and shooting him in the back of the head at point blank range. After that, the killer, according to some reports, fired several warning shots towards Yushvaev's guards who were inside. The suspect fled by car.
Several casings from a 9 mm Glock pistol were found at the crime scene, a source familiar with the investigation told Izvestia. The police deployed a helicopter to search for the criminal, and roadblocks were set up on the roads. According to the preliminary version, the murder was committed during a criminal conflict.
Who is Yanis Yushvaev?
In the Israeli media, Yushvaev was called the head of the so-called Caucasian mafia. His group, according to police, operated mainly in the cities of Or Akiva, Hadera and the Sharon region. Yushvaev himself positioned himself as a "law-abiding entrepreneur," owned restaurants and other businesses, drove around in a Bentley and dressed in designer clothes. However, he came to the attention of law enforcement officers more than once. He was suspected of involvement in a series of arson attacks, shooting at businessmen's homes, extortion, and organizing assassination attempts as part of groups he created.
In 2015, an attempt was made on his life in Hadera, then he was seriously injured, but survived. In recent years, Yushvaev has been in serious conflict with other criminal authorities, including people from Ukraine, and a bounty of one million shekels (about 28 million rubles) or more was allegedly placed on his head, a source told Izvestia.
Despite his repeated detentions, Yushvaev has always managed to avoid prolonged imprisonment due to lack of evidence. For example, in February 2026, he was detained at Ben Gurion Airport on his return from Moscow on suspicion of preparing an assassination attempt on certain criminal leaders competing with his group. But he was not charged.
The "Russian trace" in the Israeli criminal world
Yushvaev's murder has once again drawn attention to a long—standing problem - the presence of immigrants from the post-Soviet space in the criminal world of Israel. Since the early 1990s, this country has become one of the centers of attraction for Russian organized crime. Many violators of the law, using the right to repatriation, received Israeli passports, which allowed them to legalize and conduct business.
According to criminologist Valentin Stanovov, billions of dollars criminally obtained in Russia and the CIS countries passed through the Israeli financial system. Israel has been used as a base for money laundering, real estate investments, and shadow financial transactions.
"Representatives of various groups, including the notorious Solntsevskaya Bratva, operated and continue to operate here," Stanovov told Izvestia. — There are cases when the Israeli police warned newly arrived criminal authorities from Russia that they were being monitored. Israeli law and the lack of direct evidence prevented them from being sent.
Yanis Yushvaev, being from the Caucasus, had strong connections and business interests in Russia, where, according to some sources, he spent a significant part of his time. According to the Izvestia source, Yushvaev is related to businessman Gavriil Yushvaev (nickname Garik Makhachkala), whose name was mentioned in connection with the conflict at the Oko Tower in Moscow City in November 2017.
The consequences of murder for the criminal world
The murder of Yanis Yushvaev will inevitably lead to serious changes in the balance of power in the criminal environment, Stanovov believes.
"Firstly, the murder was the culmination of a protracted conflict between Yushvaev and his opponents," says a retired police colonel. — For a long time he remained invulnerable to justice, and his removal by force is a signal that his enemies are ready to go to the end. This may lead to a new wave of violence — a war for the redistribution of spheres of influence that were liberated after his death.
Secondly, the death of such an authority as Yushvaev can destabilize the situation in the regions of his influence — Or-Akiva, Hadera and the surrounding area, the Izvestia interlocutor believes.
— His closest associate Patrick Krasnopolsky, as well as other members of his group, such as Osher Shamilov and the Arbiv brothers, may try to take control into their own hands, which will lead to new clashes.
The police will use the resulting chaos to conduct large-scale operations and detentions, trying to bring the situation under control, Stanovov believes.
"This crime demonstrates that even 'untouchable' authorities are not immune from a killer's bullet,— Stanovov says. — This may weaken the positions of other so-called thieves in law and watchers who felt safe on Israeli soil, forcing them either to go into an even deeper shadow, or to intensify the struggle for their own survival.
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