Airat Khairullin

Airat Khairullin
Born	(1970-08-01) 1 August 1970 Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia
Died	7 February 2020(2020-02-07) (aged 49) Near Laishevo, Tatarstan, Russia
Occupation(s)	Economist, entrepreneur, politician
Years active	1992–2020
Known for	Member of the State Duma (2003–2020), founder of Edelweiß company

Airat Nazipovich Khairullin (; ; 1 August 1970 – 7 February 2020) was a prominent Russian economist, affluent entrepreneur, and politician from Tatarstan, associated with the United Russia party. He held a seat in the State Duma from 2003 until his passing in 2020, concentrating on agricultural legislation as a member of the Duma's Agriculture Policy Committee.

Life

Born and raised in Kazan, Khairullin was the son of economist Nazip Garifullovich Khairullin, who led a department at the State University of Agriculture. His mother, Khatira Sungatovna, worked as an agronomist within the Ministry of Agriculture for Tatarstan.

Khairullin completed his studies at Kazan’s Maxim Gorki Agriculture Institute in 1991, earning a degree specializing in the economic organization of agricultural production. Over the subsequent twenty years, he balanced a thriving career in agribusiness with academic advancement, obtaining a doctorate in economics from Mari State Technical University in 2009.

During the entrepreneurial surge of the 1990s in Russia, Khairullin and his brother Ilshat founded "Фирма Эдельвейс" (Edelweiß), which began as a private enterprise in Kazan before transitioning into real estate. He held leadership roles as director from 1992 to 1994 and CEO between 1994 and 1996 while the company became a limited liability partnership. In 1994, Khairullin established a facility producing carbonated beverages and mineral water, followed by launching the "Regina" confectionery factory in 1995. He also founded the "Edelweiß-M" dairy plant and held co-ownership stakes in sixteen factories. In the early 2000s, he divested several holdings; notably, "Edelweiß-M" was absorbed into "Юнимилк" (Unimilk), which later became part of Danone Russia, in 2002.

At just 25 years old, Khairullin was elected to the Kazan City Council (1995–1999), serving as its youngest member on a part-time basis. He subsequently progressed to the Tatarstan state parliament (1999–2003), where he concentrated on environmental issues, natural resource management, and agri-food policies.

Concurrently, he briefly served as CEO of Kazan's "Krasny Vostok Brewing Company" in 1996 and remained chairman of its executive board until 2003.

In December 2003, Khairullin secured election to the State Duma representing constituency No. 27 (covering Naberezhnye Chelny and Kazan). He was re-elected in 2007 on the United Russia party ticket and again in both 2011 and 2016.

In August 2008, he assumed the presidency of the National Milk Producers' Union.

In 2012, opposition lawmakers Dmitry Gudkov and Ilya Ponomarev drew attention to Khairullin’s extensive ownership interests in agricultural companies—reportedly holding stakes in 99 entities compared to only 43 declared—many founded during his time as a parliamentarian. Sergey Mitrokhin, leader of Yabloko, also identified him among deputies who accumulated business assets while serving in office.

Death

On 7 February 2020, Airat Khairullin was aboard his private Bell 407 helicopter along with his pilot and personal assistant when it crashed approximately 30 kilometers from Kazan and six kilometers outside Laishevo, landing on marshland near the Kuybyshev Reservoir. Emergency responders accessed the crash site via hovercraft. Although both pilot and assistant sustained serious injuries but survived, Khairullin succumbed instantly.

A criminal inquiry was initiated by authorities investigating possible causes such as unfavorable weather conditions, mechanical failure, or pilot error.

Khairullin’s funeral service occurred on 8 February 2020 at the Tatar State Philharmonic concert Hall in Kazan. The memorial gathering featured tributes from senior government officials and party representatives. He was interred that same day beside his mother at the Muslim Cemetery located in Mirny (Kazan).

Personal life

Airat Khairullin was a family man, survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter.

See also

• List of members of the State Duma of Russia who died in office