A Samara mother fought through court for her daughter, then faced the 'Spider'
Millions in debts, bitter court battles for her daughter, psychiatric evaluations, and a finale worthy of a crime thriller—featuring a PMC Wagner fighter convicted of child kidnapping. The protagonist of this story is Svetlana, a former financial director of major Samara holdings. Her opponent is Dmitry Shcherbakov, her ex-husband.
We have heard one side of the story and thoroughly verified everything that can be checked against official documents, studying over 500 pages of court rulings, expert reports, and criminal case materials. Dmitry Shcherbakov did not engage with 63.RU—he declined a meeting and any comments.
«After considering your proposal, I hereby inform you of my refusal to participate in the interview and to provide any comments,» he wrote in a letter to media representatives.
This is a story of a ten-year war for a child and property, which almost ended in tragedy.
Marriage, business, and the first cracks
Svetlana and Dmitry met in 2012. She was 25, building a career as a financier. He was 28, presenting himself as an entrepreneur in the security sector. They married in 2013. Their daughter was born in 2015.
From the outside, everything looked prosperous. Svetlana worked, among other roles, as a financial director for a company connected to Alexey Shapovalov (SDM-Holding). Dmitry was the director of COMMET-18 LLC and deputy director at UNIVERSAL LLC, at least according to character references he later provided to the court.
But problems were brewing within the family. According to Svetlana, Dmitry constantly asked her for money for business projects that brought no income. She took out loans and sold her cable business to be with their child. By 2018, according to her calculations, the total sum of her investments and loans for Dmitry had approached 18 million rubles (about $200,000 at current rates).
In arbitration courts, Dmitry Shcherbakov indeed appears as a person with a problematic financial reputation.
13 September 2021: The Arbitration Court of Krasnodar Krai, in case No. A32-39846/2020, ordered a joint recovery of 5,483,052 rubles (about $61,000) from METRIKA LLC and from Dmitry Shcherbakov as a guarantor, in favor of ZAO DIY Logistics.
Even earlier, on 30 June 2017, the Arbitration Court of Samara Region, in case No. A55-10152/2013, excluded Shcherbakov from the list of founders of FEDERATSIYA SISTEM BEZOPASNOSTI (Security Systems Federation) LLC. The reason—his actions, including engaging in competing business, caused damage to the company.
The war for the daughter begins in Thailand
The crisis peaked at the end of 2018. To «save the relationship,» the family went to Thailand. There, according to Svetlana, a turning point occurred. After an argument, she flew home first. A few days later, according to the woman, Dmitry posted on social media, presenting the situation as if his wife had abandoned him with a small child in a foreign country. This post would later appear in court as evidence of the mother«s »inappropriate behavior.«
Svetlana claims that after the trip to Thailand, Dmitry posted on social media accusing her of abandoning him with their child. Her statement about the existence of such a post and its use to create a negative image is recorded in a psychological and pedagogical report dated 25 September 2020, attached to the court materials.
The documents provided to the editorial office contain indirect correspondence and mentions of the conflict in Thailand, but there is no direct link to Dmitry D. Shcherbakov«s VK page with the accusations in the provided materials. However, there are witness and party testimonies describing this situation:
Mentions of the conflict in Thailand:
From the testimony of witness S.:
«…the witness and her family were vacationing in Thailand at the same time as the Shcherbakovs. For the New Year»s celebration, Dmitry D. Shcherbakov came to the cafe alone with the child… The witness asked Dmitry where Svetlana was, to which he explained that she had left for Moscow, taking the children«s things, the stroller, and Dmitry»s belongings.«
From the testimony of grandmother K.:
«There was an incident when Dmitry D. Shcherbakov rented a villa in Thailand for a month; after five days of vacation, Svetlana left Thailand for Moscow, leaving the child with the plaintiff. She took with her the child»s stroller and scuba diving equipment.«
From Svetlana«s explanations in court:
«Dmitry D. Shcherbakov kidnapped the child and the money and told me to take the stroller. I flew away, and two days later his mother arrived, and Dima relaxed on my 2,000,000 rubles (about $22,000).»
From the explanations of Dmitry D. Shcherbakov«s representative:
«The court in 2019 evaluated the witness testimonies, which stated that Dmitry Dmitrievich went to the sea with his daughter, and Shcherbakova flew to Russia, taking the baby stroller and diving equipment. That is why the court established the fact that she is prone to lying.»
When Svetlana returned to Samara and firmly announced divorce and demanded repayment of debts, the counterblow, according to her, hit the most painful spot—their daughter. Dmitry Shcherbakov filed a lawsuit to determine the child«s place of residence with him.
The first trial. How the mother was turned into a «cuckoo»
On 25 March 2019, the Industrial District Court of Samara issued a ruling. The place of residence of the 4-year-old daughter was determined to be with the father. The court sided with him, taking into account the reports of the guardianship authorities and witness testimonies.
A quote from a later decision of the same court (No. 2-21/2021 dated 19 March 2021), describing the 2019 position: «…the court established that the child»s mother had not participated in his upbringing for a long time, had not considered the child«s life, health, and psychological comfort, and had repeatedly left her daughter with strangers…»
Serious accusations were made against Svetlana in court—«propensity for alcoholism,» «unstable mental condition.» But no medical reports confirming this were presented.
«I sat in the courtroom and couldn»t believe my ears,« says Svetlana. »They painted me, who hadn«t left my daughter»s side since her birth, who provided for the family, as a monster. And the judge looked at the papers and nodded.«
Counteroffensive. Expert evaluations and a new reality
Svetlana did not give up. She filed an appeal and began gathering evidence. A key moment was her undergoing an independent expert evaluation.
On 11 February 2021, the Conclusion of a comprehensive forensic psychological and psychiatric expert evaluation No. 45/s regarding Svetlana was ready. The experts« verdict was categorical:
«No chronic mental disorders were identified in Svetlana.»
«She is capable of raising children and does not pose a social danger to children.»
«She possesses a positive emotional attachment to her daughter.»
Simultaneously, an important detail surfaced in the case materials. It turned out that Dmitry Shcherbakov, who had received the child by court order, did not actually live with her. The girl lived with her grandmother in Samara on Aerodromnaya Street, while Dmitry himself lived with his new family elsewhere.
On 6 July 2021, the Samara Regional Court (Appellate ruling No. 33-6535/2021) overturned the previous decision. The court noted that the father «does not actually live with the child,» and, considering the daughter«s young age, ruled: the girl must return to her mother, Svetlana. She was also relieved of the obligation to pay child support.
A new player and a new level of threat
According to Svetlana, a new person appeared in the case during the legal battles. But Svetlana is convinced that her role was much more significant. She connects this woman with the «black realtors» of Samara, whose cases were previously covered by 63.RU.
After the defeat in the appeal, Svetlana believes, the methods used against her changed. From legal to forceful ones.
In August 2023, according to Svetlana, she received a call from the FSB warning her of surveillance on her and her daughter and a real threat of kidnapping. Later, through lawyers, she learned shocking information.
Interest in her old apartment in Samara was shown by Ruslan Bakiyev, known by the nickname «Spider.» He was convicted for the kidnapping of a 4-year-old boy in Kinel (a 2019 case) and sentenced to 24 years in a penal colony. Later he was released, having gone to the special military operation. According to the investigation, «Spider» and an accomplice were planning to kidnap the girl. According to Svetlana, this was intended to force her to give up property in favor of her ex-husband.
«Spider» was detained red-handed in the Moscow region.
An unfinished story
Today, the daughter lives with her mother. Ruslan Bakiyev has been convicted in a new case and sent back to a penal colony. According to the Federal Bailiff Service, Dmitry Shcherbakov is officially unemployed and does not pay child support for his daughter; a debt is accumulating.
«I won all the court cases,» says Svetlana. «I proved that I am an adequate mother. I survived the threat of my daughter being kidnapped. But there is no feeling of victory. There is a feeling that you have gone through a hellish machine that grinds up lives. And the scariest thing is that the key figures remain in the shadows. And you understand that this story could repeat itself with someone else.»
63.RU continues to follow this story.
