The defense in a case involving payments to military personnel alleges that the Grozny Garrison Military Court is refusing to admit material that it says contradicts the prosecution’s account. A lawyer representing one of the defendants, former military prosecutor’s office employee Alexander Stepanchenko, made the allegation on condition of anonymity.
The defendants are Stepanchenko, Akhmed Kagirov and Rakhman Ganaev. They face charges of fraud in obtaining payments on an especially large scale under Part 4 of Article 159.2 of Russia’s Criminal Code. Prosecutors allege that between December 2022 and February 2024, 30 service members received three million rubles each on the basis of fraudulent injury certificates. The prosecution estimates the alleged loss at 90 million rubles and claims that the scheme’s organizers took half of each payment.
Prosecutors link the payments to forged certificates purportedly issued by a branch of the 412th Military Hospital in Khankala. They allege that the documents were produced by Khusein Magomadov, who is wanted and has been ordered detained in absentia.
All three defendants initially admitted guilt during the investigation but withdrew those statements in court. They allege that they incriminated themselves after an investigator promised to suspend their prosecution if they signed contracts with the Defense Ministry.
Stepanchenko’s lawyer says documents submitted by the defense contain discrepancies in dates that cast doubt on the defendants’ earlier admissions. He also cites mobile operator records which, he says, do not show calls between some defendants during the periods specified by prosecutors. These are defense arguments, not findings by the court.
Kagirov said 15 million rubles had been passed to other people whom he believes organized the scheme. According to him, 13 million rubles was transferred to an investigator’s account through an inquiry officer, while another two million was handed over in person. The investigator, who is a witness in the case, explained the transfers as payment for three cars purchased in South Korea at Kagirov’s request. Kagirov denies asking for those purchases.
Kagirov also alleges that the investigator threatened him and that he ended up in hospital after being beaten. According to the lawyer, the defense tried to submit recordings in which Kagirov describes the threats and beating.
According to the court case record, the proceedings began in April 2026. More than 40 hearings had been held by late October; the latest one mentioned took place on October 30. The prosecution has finished presenting its evidence. According to the original reporting, none of the 30 service members who allegedly received the payments has been charged in the case; they appear as witnesses. The defense intends to seek the case’s return to prosecutors for further investigation. No verdict has been issued.