Stavropol Court Frees Convicted Deputy Police Chief of Fraud Charges
Ruslan Toymukhamedov, a former deputy police chief of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs« (MVD) Main Directorate for the Volgograd Region who was convicted of fraud, has been freed from his sentence. The Stavropol Regional Court issued the decision on his appeal.
As a reminder, Colonel Toymukhamedov was detained at his workplace on May 15, 2025.
«The investigation believes that one of the persons involved in the criminal case, being well aware that an individual entrepreneur was unable to organize and conduct a business mission in Turkmenistan and Turkey aimed at developing exports for small and medium-sized businesses in the Stavropol region, concluded two contracts with another citizen for paid services to organize and conduct business missions for 850,000 rubles (approx. $9,400 at current rates) and 1,400,000 rubles (approx. $15,600 at current rates),» a statement from the Leninsky District Court said regarding the choice of a pre-trial restraint measure for the police officer. «According to the investigation, a report on the organization and conduct of the business missions was subsequently provided, which contained false information about their participants who in fact did not take part. As a result, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Stavropol Region suffered damages totaling 2,350,000 rubles (approx. $26,100 at current rates).»
The court clarified that, according to the investigation, the deputy police chief for operational work of the MVD«s Main Directorate for the Volgograd Region, Colonel Ruslan Toymukhamedov, may have been involved in these crimes, citing materials provided by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Directorate for the Stavropol region as confirmation. The senior police officer was placed in a pre-trial detention center during the investigation.
His arrest coincided with reports from anonymous Telegram channels about a large-scale inspection within the MVD«s Main Directorate for the Volgograd Region and the suspension of a number of senior police officers, prompted by a note found near the deceased farmer Alexey Paramonov.
The actual court hearings on the case began in mid-August.
«The court established that in 2019, an agreement was concluded between the Ministry of Economic Development of the Stavropol Region and the regional Entrepreneurship Support Fund to provide a subsidy for assisting small and medium-sized businesses in entering foreign markets,» the press service of the Stavropol Regional Prosecutor«s Office reported on the outcome of the hearing. «The director of the aforementioned Fund, Elena Samarina, acting as part of a group of persons by prior conspiracy with the accused, concluded contracts with an entrepreneur, unaware of the accomplices» criminal intentions, for services to organize and conduct an international exhibition and business mission in Turkey and Turkmenistan. The man, fulfilling his criminal role, created the appearance of organizing and conducting these events on the territory of foreign states.
Being fully aware that the trips were not actually carried out, the accused, together with Samarina, provided the regional Ministry of Economic Development with false reports on the targeted use of the subsidy funds. As a result, 2.25 million rubles (approx. $25,000 at current rates) were embezzled.»
Ruslan Toymukhamedov was found guilty of the acts with which he was charged, fully compensated for the damages, and was sentenced to one and a half years in a minimum-security penal colony, but appealed the verdict.
The case review was scheduled for January 28. The Stavropol Regional Court, having considered the convict«s complaint, changed the decision of the Leninsky District Court of Stavropol. The former police colonel was released from punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution.
