Kardo confirms award in Stavropol despite CEO arrest

Organizers of the Kardo street culture award have stated on social media that the event will proceed in Stavropol this year, despite the arrest of its CEO.

Feb 19, 2026

The Kardo street culture award is set to proceed in Stavropol despite the CEO«s arrest on fraud charges.
Source:
Ivan Vysochinsky / 26.RU

Every year in Stavropol, the final of the international street culture competition and award «Kardo» takes place. Many residents and visitors of the region gather to watch the bright performances of participants. However, the recent arrest of CEO Valentin Rabotenko raised the question — what will happen to Kardo?

Recall that on January 23, it became known about the detention of the CEO Valentin Rabotenko. He and his assistants allegedly produced and submitted to the Ministry of Youth Policy of Stavropol Krai 105 fake airline tickets for participants of the Kardo festival, which no one used. The expense reports were accepted and approved despite possible discrepancies.

On January 25, the prosecutor«s office of Stavropol reported that Rabotenko — the head of an NGO (non-governmental organization) — received a grant of 215 million rubles (about $2.3 million at current rates) from the regional budget for organizing the Kardo festival. However, according to the investigation, the suspect and his two assistants embezzled at least 4 million rubles (about $43,000 at current rates) from this amount. Law enforcement agencies initiated a criminal case under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code (fraud on a particularly large scale). Under this article, the suspect could face up to 10 years in prison.

Valentin Rabotenko was taken into custody by court decision. A similar preventive measure was chosen for his two assistants. After this, the official Telegram channel of Kardo reported that the international award continues to exist.

«Kardo continues to work and live thanks to the big family — people who have invested and continue to invest strength, time, and heart into the project. We carefully handle what is happening around and strive to maintain stability and support for the community,» the organizers wrote.

According to plan, the final is scheduled to take place from August 19 to 23. Whether the current situation will affect the work and outcome is still unknown.