Mother of four illegitimate children sues widow for SMO benefits

Bekhan Beshtoev from Krasnodar died during the special military operation (SMO) in May 2024. He was 55 years old. For Bekhan, this was his second deployment to the SMO zone. From the first one, he returned with a hand injury and painful memories. His relatives say that after returning, he started drinking heavily.

In May 2024, the man unexpectedly signed a second six-month contract with a volunteer detachment. Although, relatives say, he had no intention of going back. A few weeks later, he stopped making contact. Later it was revealed that he died in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Then, just as unexpectedly, it turned out that he had four illegitimate children.

Bekhan’s relatives don’t understand how he suddenly had four children. Moreover, they were adopted a couple of months before his death.

Their mother—an acquaintance of Bekhan—now claims posthumous payments and even half of the apartment. The latter belongs to Beshtoev’s legal wife, with whom he was married for 20 years.

Now both sides are disputing the military payments and seeking justice in court. 93.RU investigated the tangled story.

“Where Are You Headed?”

Bekhan and Lyudmila (his current wife) met in 2003 in Ingushetia. There, the woman says, she traveled for work, being a commercial director at a company that dealt with lumber.

“At that time, employees of a German company came to Russia. They needed valuable wood species: beech, oak. They invited me to go with them to Ingushetia. I was just on vacation and went. On May 9, 2003, during this trip, we met Bekhan. Around mid-2003, he started living with me—in a Krasnodar apartment on YMR. He kept walking around, admiring my apartment. And in February 2004, we got married,” recalls Lyudmila.

The woman says that relatives were against her choice.

“They told me, like, where are you headed. He never worked anywhere. He didn’t even have a work record book. But he seemed well-off to me, handy. If something needed to be done, it wasn’t a problem… He did odd jobs, earned money for his cigarettes. Actually, I was the one working. Treating and taking care of him—also me,” says Lyudmila.

All holidays, all free time Bekhan and Lyudmila spent together, difficult life moments—they also shared. Lyudmila says “he was always nearby.” In summer 2023, Bekhan decided to sign a contract with the Bars volunteer detachment.

“Work was tough for him then. And money had to be earned. I also got sick, I have diabetes… Bekhan then said that he just decided to go and went. They took him without any questions, although he had no combat experience,” says Lyudmila.

Returned and Started Drinking

From June 8 to December 17, he was at the front and returned with an injury. Lyudmila says that Bekhan had a damaged hand, causing his fingers not to bend.

“When he returned, he started drinking a lot. Drank at home, went somewhere—also drank. Friends constantly came to him, congratulating him on returning alive. He didn’t even hint at a second contract. I suspect he went through heavy moments there, that’s why he drank. In spring 2024, he unexpectedly decided to sign another contract,” recalls Lyudmila.

Bekhan signed the contract for the second time in May 2024. On May 17, he called Lyudmila and asked her not to worry.

“At five in the morning he called. Said he would be out of contact for 20 days. And ‘when he returns,’ he would call immediately. He didn’t call. When 20 days passed, even more, I started sounding the alarm: going to military commissariats to look for him,” says Lyudmila.

Bekhan died on May 31, 2024 in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. But the man’s relatives learned about this much later. And the fact of his death was established only on February 24, 2025.

“The death of Junior Sergeant Bekhan Beshtoev occurred during the performance of SMO tasks in the area of the settlement of Rabotino in Zaporizhzhia Oblast,” states a certificate from the military commissariat (available to the editorial office).

When Bekhan went missing, his wife started going to military commissariats to find out what happened. During one such visit, she was asked to bring some documents. Among them—a certificate of no children.

“I then thought it was a strange request. Bekhan and I had no children. He said he couldn’t have them. I went to the civil registry office and they gave me a certificate stating that my husband is the father of four children,” says Lyudmila.

Three Children in One Day

The document says that on January 11, 2024, three teenagers (born in 2008, 2012) and a girl (born in 2018) became children of Bekhan Beshtoev. In one day, they changed their surnames and patronymics. These are children of Elena (name changed)—a woman whom Bekhan saw, including before leaving for his last deployment.

Context. The inheritance lawsuit itself involves four minors. But only three changed their surname and patronymic. The fourth child did not change their passport and personal data.

“I suspected he might have someone on the side, but there was no evidence. And there was no time or desire to investigate—either. And half a year after his death, this woman suddenly appeared and started claiming inheritance,” says Lyudmila.

A lawsuit from Elena was filed in court, in which she asks to restore the deadlines for entering the inheritance. The fact is that the death was recorded only 10 months after the death. Until the end of February 2025, Bekhan was listed as missing. The lawsuit states that because of this, the deadlines for entering the inheritance were missed. Therefore, Elena believes the deadline should be restored.

The primary heir is Bekhan’s wife Lyudmila Beshtoeva. Elena demands to allocate half of the share of joint property of Bekhan and Lyudmila—this is 3.1 million rubles (about $34,400 at current rates), which is stored in the deceased man’s bank account (this money was given to him for an injury received in 2023 during his first deployment).

“Also, this woman claims part of my apartment, where we lived with Bekhan, and the death benefits. In her lawsuit, she states that she is acting on behalf of her children, whom she registered under my husband before sending him to the SMO zone. I, as the official wife, received only part of the governor’s payments and partially from the insurance. And in what proportions—no one can really explain. And I can’t run around military commissariats anymore due to illness. Now I practically have no income. I live off grocery deliveries ordered by my son,” explains Lyudmila.

Saw Her Twice in Life

Beshtoev himself was buried in his homeland—in Ingushetia. There, in the village of Nasyr-Kort, lives his brother Bekhan together with their mother. The woman is hard hit by the loss of her son, and all this inheritance division story—too.

“This Elena, I saw her twice in life. Once she came with my brother before his second deployment. Right after the New Year holidays, as it turned out later, she registered the children under him, and Bekhan abruptly decided to go to the SMO again. He wasn’t planning to return there. And when he went missing, not a single call from her, no help. In November, she filed documents to have him declared dead—that’s all the care,” says Ruslan.

The second time Ruslan saw Elena was at Bekhan’s funeral.

“She came as the mother of his children. Yes, he loved them. But I don’t know if they are his biological children or not. But I tried not to interfere in their relationship. Before that, she wasn’t really in contact. And when he went the second time, she wrote to him constantly,” continues Ruslan.

In a conversation with a journalist from 93.RU, the man said that “Lyudmila—is the only person who cared for Bekhan.”

“She did everything for him: dressed him, fed him. When he was gone, we didn’t lose touch, we try to help each other when possible, even if just morally.

A journalist from the portal 93.RU repeatedly tried to call Elena to find out her position, but she never answered. She also prefers not to communicate with the relatives of the ‘father’ of her children.

Was That Even Allowed?

Now the legal bureau Pravo-45, which represents Lyudmila’s interests in court on a pro bono basis, has filed an application with the investigative committee.

Lyudmila suspects that the paternity establishment certificates are fake. This is indicated, in particular, by the fact that for three children they were allegedly issued in one day four months before Bekhan left for the SMO the second time. She cannot assert this, law enforcement agencies must investigate.

“We believe that Elena, acting in collusion with unknown persons, having learned about the death of an SMO fighter, presented forged documents (paternity establishment certificate issued by the civil registry office) to state authorities and on this basis illegally obtained for her children from other men certificates of paternity recognition and, as a consequence, the payments due to the spouse, thereby causing damage on a particularly large scale.”

“In view of the above, we request to initiate a criminal case on signs of crimes provided for by Art. 327 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (forgery of documents) and Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud),” states the application to the investigative committee.

Lawyer Kondrat Gorishny of the human rights project Pravo 45 (representing the interests of Bekhan’s widow in court), in a conversation with 93.RU, stated that marital status does not restrict a man from recognizing his child born from another woman, or even not his child, if he wishes to be its official father.

“Based on Part 3 of Art. 48 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation, paternity of a person not married to the child’s mother is established by submitting a joint application by the father and mother of the child to the civil registry office. The wife does not participate in this process and her consent is not required. The civil registry office is also not obliged to notify the wife about this,” said Kondrat Gorishny.

Now both sides will litigate over Bekhan’s death benefits. On one side—Elena, who registered four children under the man, on the other side—Lyudmila, Bekhan’s legal wife, and his mother with brother Ruslan. Moreover, neither Lyudmila nor Ruslan really understand on what principle the payments are now distributed between family members and the suddenly appeared multi-child Elena. In the military commissariat, according to them, they cannot get any explanation.