Farewell to 18-year-old Ilya Polezhaev, stabbed at a bus stop

On Wednesday, 21 January, the town of Elektrostal in the Moscow region held the funeral for 18-year-old Ilya Polezhaev. Three days earlier, he was stabbed to death in a street fight by 19-year-old Imomali Turdiyev, a native of Tajikistan. The conflict began on one of the town«s buses.

The case quickly gained notoriety: Turdiyev was detained, while anti-fascists labeled the slain youth a neo-Nazi and provocateur, claiming he had attended a memorial for Markelov and Baburova, who were killed by BORN*.

MSK1.RU reports what is known about 18-year-old Ilya Polezhaev and shows how Elektrostal said goodbye to him.

«Kvas» from the Far Right

In right-wing circles, Ilya was known by the nickname «Kvas.» Despite his young age, nationalist-themed public pages referred to him as a «comrade-in-arms.» Online, one can find photos of Polezhaev with like-minded individuals: in one, the young men hold a flag of the German Empire and pistols, while Ilya himself raises his arm in a gesture resembling a Nazi salute.

There is little information on the youth«s social media pages. In his status on VKontakte, Polezhaev had a line from a song by the black metal band M8L8TH (which stands for »Hitler«s Hammer». — Ed.).

«Views full of destructive will, your hearts are filled with confusion, the body will be filled with searing pain, the pain will bring all this to an end,» Ilya quoted from the song.

It is known that in the past the young man was involved in sports: in 2018 he received a bronze GTO badge. He studied at school No. 11 in his native Elektrostal and then enrolled in one of the Moscow region«s colleges.

Immediately after Polezhaev«s killing, the »Russian Community« announced it was »taking the case under its control,« and internet users noted his resemblance to a person who had provoked participants at a 2025 memorial for lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova.

Stanislav Markelov was a lawyer who defended anti-fascists and eco-activists. He also represented the family of Chechen woman Elza Kungayeva, who was killed by Russian Army Colonel Yuri Budanov. Anastasia Baburova was a journalist for Novaya Gazeta and an anti-fascist activist.

On 19 January 2009, they were shot dead in central Moscow by neo-Nazi Nikita Tikhonov, one of the founders of BORN (the Combat Organization of Russian Nationalists)*. In 2011, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. His lover, Yevgenia Khasis, was also involved in the case. According to the investigation, she informed her partner of Markelov«s movements. Khasis claimed Baburova was Tikhonov»s accidental victim, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The court found Yevgenia an accomplice to the murder and sent her to a penal colony for 18 years. The pair were also found guilty of weapons possession. In December 2025, Yevgenia Khasis was released.

Nationalist-themed public pages described the young man thus: «was the life of the party,» «was a fan of the Moscow football club,» «dreamed of playing guitar and starting a band.» According to one of the administrators, while seriously wounded, Polezhaev wrote to a friend telling him not to be upset about his death.

«He wouldn»t want me to cry«

The journey from Moscow to Elektrostal takes about an hour and a half. As the train approached the town, a group of teenagers boarded. Young men in dark jackets and combat boots were discussing the tragedy aloud. From their conversation, it was clear they did not know Polezhaev personally but wanted to pay their respects.

Elektrostal was greeted by a dirty-gray sky. After getting off the train, the crowd of teenagers headed to a local cafe near the station. Half an hour before the farewell ceremony began, Ilya«s friends and acquaintances started gathering at the morgue. Volunteers from the »Russian Community« also arrived. They held red carnations. Security forces kept order — National Guard and police were deployed to the building.

Ilya«s acquaintances entered the morgue one by one — a tiny room was allocated for saying goodbye to the young man. Many emerged unable to hold back tears.

«He wouldn»t want me to cry. If he saw me in tears, he«d start telling a joke,» said one of the girls in the crowd.

The funeral service for Ilya was held at the Church of Andrei Rublev. An open coffin with the body stood in the middle of the hall. The young man lay in a black hat and a blue turtleneck; the lower part of his body, where the blow had landed, was covered. So many people had gathered that they blocked the deceased with their backs. Serious-looking, clean-shaven young men wiped away tears with their jacket sleeves.

Ilya«s female relatives stood in the front row. One of them could not take her eyes off the deceased throughout the service. The young man»s mother, Yulia, felt unwell: National Guard officers brought her smelling salts. Red from crying, she tried to calm down in a car. Periodically, her son«s acquaintances approached Yulia to offer condolences.

«Sweetie, what are you apologizing for? Everything»s fine,« Yulia comforted Ilya»s friend, who was hugging her in tears.

«He»d say we«re bawling like cows,» the girl replied.

After the service, the funeral procession moved to the «Quiet Grove» cemetery. The plot was chosen near military graves. The path to the grave wound through a deserted, snow-covered forest. At the site, Yulia tried to cheer up the mourners. She also did not refuse to speak to those who approached her with condolences. With bowed heads, Ilya«s friends, who had been at the epicenter of the tragedy that evening, stood at the cemetery. In complete silence, the coffin was lowered into the ground.

According to some attendees, relatives of Imomali, who is responsible for Ilya«s death, were allegedly spotted at the farewell. MSK1.RU could not confirm this information or identify the arrested youth»s family.

«I don»t want to know or hear anything about him,« Yulia cut short any talk of her son»s killer.

To recap, the tragedy occurred in Elektrostal on 18 January. On a bus, a conflict erupted between Ilya«s group and Imomali Turdiyev, a native of Tajikistan. Eyewitness accounts differ on what sparked the argument: some claim Turdiyev stood up for a girl insulted by the young men, others say the migrant started swearing at them without reason.

Outside, the verbal altercation escalated into a brawl. During the fight, Turdiyev wounded Polezhaev; the blow landed in the kidney area. The driver of an approaching bus tried to save Ilya and took him to the hospital, but the medics« efforts were in vain.

Earlier, we published a report from Elektrostal, which has been at the epicenter of the tragedy for a week.

* Recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia.