Transbaikal village head sentenced for horse theft, illegal rifle storage

The Alexandrovo-Zavodsky District Court sentenced Valery Valeev, head of the Onon-Borzya rural settlement, for stealing and slaughtering a horse, as well as for illegal storage of a weapon. This was reported to a Chita.Ru correspondent on January 27 by the court«s press service.

In November 2024, the head of the rural settlement stole a horse near the village of Klin, slaughtered it, and used the meat as he wished, causing damage to the horse owner amounting to 50,000 rubles (about $556 at current rates).

Also, in the autumn of 2024, the accused found a functional hunting rifle of the TOZ-8 brand and seven cartridges on his roof. He did not have a permit to own a weapon, but he nevertheless brought it home and hid it under a shed. Police found and seized the weapon and cartridges in February 2025, although Valeev did not want to surrender them voluntarily.

The defendant did not agree with the charges of horse theft and illegal acquisition of the weapon, but admitted his guilt in storing it and the cartridges. The court imposed the punishment, taking into account the severity of both crimes, the characteristics of the accused«s personality, circumstances mitigating the punishment, as well as the consequences of imposing the punishment for the accused himself and his family.

For both crimes, Valeev was given a suspended sentence of 2 years and 1 month with a probation period of 2.5 years. He was also ordered to compensate the victim for material damage in the amount of 50,000 rubles (about $556 at current rates) for the stolen horse.

The verdict has not yet entered into force.