Samara businessman hospitalized after stroke during debt case

A fresh legal dispute is brewing in Samara. A routine litigation between two locals turned into serious problems with both the law and health. One of the parties shared their version of events with 63.RU.

In the summer of 2025, 62-year-old Samara entrepreneur Dmitry Chasovsky filed a lawsuit with the Kirovsky District Court. He sought to recover 19.4 million rubles (approximately $215,600 at current rates) from local individual entrepreneur Dmitry Nikulin. According to our sources, the money was given under a loan agreement.

According to the Kontur.Focus system, IE Nikulin Dmitry Sergeevich was registered in Samara Region in 2014. His main line of business is the sale of automobile parts, assemblies, and accessories. The businessman«s name also appears in another legal entity — OOO Optprodtorg (an LLC), which specializes in wholesale trade of meat and meat products.

«The defendant did not deny receiving the money and claimed that he allegedly returned the entire amount in cash with interest. But he could not explain the source of nearly 20 million rubles and did not provide any supporting documents,» Dmitry Chasovsky«s relatives assert.

According to them, the defendant produced an IOU for repayment of the debt as evidence. The document allegedly bore the plaintiff«s signature. However, Dmitry Nikulin could not recall the circumstances under which the paper was drawn up. Dmitry Chasovsky insisted he had not received the money and was not even in Russia on the date stated in the IOU. To verify the document»s authenticity, the court demanded the original and ordered a handwriting examination.

Dmitry Chasovsky also had his own individual entrepreneurship. It operated for almost two years — from January 2020 to December 2021. The businessman independently decided to liquidate the legal entity. In addition, his name appears in the following companies: Geofizika-M, Standard-Oil, SamaraProm Ekspertiza, Inprom, Triumph, Promtech BVR, Vlad, Alproflex, Promperforator, Trading Company Galaktika, Serviceneftegaz, Scientific-Production Company Vysokiye Tekhnologii, SevKavNefteGazGeofizika, Povolzhsky Zavod Neftyanogo Oborudovaniya, Detotex, and Orion.

However, the hearings in the case have now been put on hold. The reason, according to Dmitry Chasovsky«s relatives, was the defendant»s strange behavior. At the end of January 2026, Dmitry Nikulin filed a crime report with law enforcement.

A criminal case was opened against the creditor on charges of attempted fraud. However, in the decision (a copy of which is in the possession of 63.RU), the story is presented differently. Allegedly, Dmitry Chasovsky was only an intermediary in transferring money from another businessman to Dmitry Nikulin.

According to Dmitry Chasovsky«s relatives, the entrepreneur was arrested on the street and brought in for questioning. However, the interrogation could not be completed.

«One and a half months before his arrest, Dmitry suffered a stroke. He had a second one right in the Investigative Committee building. For two hours, a resuscitation team fought for his life in the investigator«s office. Medics recorded a serious condition, speech impairment, and arm paralysis. Nevertheless, an arrest report was drawn up, which included »explanations from Chasovsky«s words» and a note about refusal to sign. He was then taken to the hospital,» Dmitry Chasovsky«s relatives stated their version of events.

Furthermore, according to the sources, a guard was assigned to the patient right in the hospital ward, and the businessman was even handcuffed to the hospital bed.

«After that, the investigator conducted a formal interrogation — to comply with procedural deadlines. He then issued a decision to release the suspect from custody,» the businessman«s relatives added.

The editorial office has documents confirming the words of our sources: a copy of the loan agreement with a receipt; decisions to open a criminal case and to release the suspect; protocols of arrest, interrogation of the suspect, and consultation at a medical facility followed by hospitalization. These were provided to 63.RU by Dmitry Chasovsky«s relatives.

The 63.RU editorial office is ready to give the other side of the conflict the opportunity to speak.

This is not the first time creditors have tried to recover money from Dmitry Nikulin. The website of the Arbitration Court of Samara Region contains information about another dispute in which the businessman was the defendant. At that time, representatives of the Samara-based OOO Phoenix (LLC) voiced their claims against the IE.

According to Kontur.Focus, OOO Phoenix was founded in Samara in 2018. Its main profile is «Activities in the field of law.» The founder is Dmitry Novichkov, and the director is Oleg Chernyshyov.

They demanded that almost 13 million rubles (approximately $144,400 at current rates) be recovered from Dmitry Nikulin. Only half of that amount had been borrowed by him; the rest was interest and penalties. In August 2025, the arbitration court ruled in favor of Phoenix.