Ex-Volgograd Traffic Police Head Appeals Court Ruling

Valery Udodov, the former acting head of the Volgograd Regional Directorate for Road Traffic Safety of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (Traffic Police), has appealed a Dzerzhinsky District Court decision that denied his reinstatement, according to the court«s website.

As per the case file, the complaint was registered in court on the penultimate working day of 2025. It was accepted for consideration on January 13 and transferred to a higher instance the next day. The Volgograd Regional Court received the case on January 20, assigning it to Judge Vera Kolganova, but a hearing date has not been set.

Recall that the dismissal of Police Colonel Valery Udodov became known in late April 2024. Several sources linked to law enforcement confirmed this. The reason was not stated, but unofficially, it was tied to alleged patronage of a businessman involved in vehicle inspections and freight transport.

According to the Dzerzhinsky District Court decision, Udodov«s dismissal resulted from an inspection by the Operational and Investigative Security Unit of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Volgograd Region, which he disputes. details

«The service inspection found that a tip-off via the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs hotline—from an anonymous citizen—claimed the acting traffic police chief, a colonel, was extorting money from staff to compensate a KAMAZ truck driver in an accident with a police vehicle (details unspecified),» the court stated. «This was relayed to the duty shift chief and logged in the hotline register.»

Following the tip, a procedural check was launched.

«The check revealed that an officer on temporary duty as an inspector, driving a service UAZ-Patriot (plate B0246/85), entered an intersection and collided with a KAMAZ truck owned by »Liga Elit Stroy« LLC. Interviews with 43 traffic police unit heads indicated voluntary fund collection, though some said it was for repairing the UAZ. Not all units contributed.»

Damages for the truck owner, the driver found not at fault, exceeded 700,000 rubles (approximately $7,800 at current rates), but the firm«s director agreed to forgo litigation if paid 530,000 rubles (about $5,900) for repairs and cargo compensation. All insisted donations were voluntary with no coercion.

The judge, after reviewing the case, denied the former acting traffic police chief«s claims.