Camilla Jessen
Former Russian senator Umar Dzhabrailov dies in reported suicide.
Umar Dzhabrailov, a businessman and former member of Russia’s upper house of parliament, has died in what authorities describe as a suicide.
Russian media outlets reported that he was discovered in a Moscow hotel room with a firearm nearby.
The circumstances of his death are now under official review.
Hotel discovery
According to the Telegram channel Mash, Dzhabrailov was found inside a hotel in the Russian capital with a gun next to him.
Independent outlet Meduza reported that he was initially hospitalized in critical condition but later died.
A police source cited by the state news agency Tass said “there are no criminal elements” linked to the case. “The reasons for the suicide are being investigated,” the source added.
Business career
Born in 1958 in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, Dzhabrailov built a career in business before entering politics.
In 1997, he took charge of the Plaza Group, a company that operates hotels, retail centers and a residential complex in Russia.
He later transitioned into public office, serving in the Federation Council, the upper chamber of Russia’s parliament, from 2004 to 2009 as a representative of the Chechen government.
In 2000, Dzhabrailov ran for president of Russia, finishing 11th in the race.
After leaving the Federation Council, he worked between 2009 and 2013 as an aide to Sergei Prikhodko, who was then a presidential adviser.
His political career faced turbulence in 2017, when he fired several shots into the ceiling of a Moscow hotel room. A court found him guilty of hooliganism and imposed a fine of 500,000 rubles, about 5,500 euros at the time.
Following the conviction, he was expelled from United Russia, the party backing President Vladimir Putin.
Sources: Mash, Meduza, Tass
