Man shot dead near Caesarea identified as head of Israel’s Caucasian mob

The man shot dead in Caesarea this afternoon is identified as Yanis Yushvaev, who is described in Hebrew media as the head of the Caucasus Jewish mafia in Israel.

Footage of the shooting shows a man in a hoodie and cap walking up to a business at a gas station at the Caesarea Junction, pulling out a pistol and shooting Yushvaev point-blank as Yushvaev and two other men walk out.

חיסול מטווח אפס: הנרצח ליד קיסריה – יאניס יושבייב, "ראש המאפיה הקווקזית"https://t.co/QJEfI8tay9@karinkabessa pic.twitter.com/LkXzus9Q4J

— חדשות 13 (@newsisrael13) August 23, 2026

Yushvaev, 40, was repeatedly arrested over the past several years on suspicion of involvement in shootings, grenade attacks and car burnings, but was never convicted.

He was most recently arrested in February at Ben Gurion Airport upon returning from Moscow, but was released within days.

הנרצח סמוך לקיסריה הוא יאניס יושבייב – ראש המאפיה הקווקזית pic.twitter.com/P28QYtXdgv

— כל החדשות בזמן אמת (@Saher_News_24_7) August 23, 2026

Yushvaev, a resident of the central town of Or Akiva who owned restaurants in the area, said in an interview with Channel 12 in October that he “is a legitimate businessman” who is “very well-established, and drives a Bentley, and that bothers police.”

Police sources cited in the same article said Yushvaev “almost never talks on the phone” because he knew he was being wiretapped, and commanded the “complete loyalty” of his associates in the Hadera area, who would remain silent in interrogations.

“It’s hard to convict him, and that’s frustrating,” said one unnamed senior police officer at the time.