Former ataman of the Kuban Cossacks Vlasov has been sentenced to a long term.

The court in Krasnodar sentenced former ataman of the Kuban Cossack Host and vice-governor of the region Alexander Vlasov to 14 years in prison for the theft of military equipment. His advisor Alexander Starodubtsev received six years in a penal colony.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the case of former vice-governor of Kuban Alexander Vlasov, accused of large-scale fraud and abuse of power, was transferred to court in July. Along with Vlasov, his former assistant Alexander Starodubtsev is also involved in the case.

The Soviet District Court of Krasnodar announced today the verdict in the case of former ataman of the Kuban Cossack Host and vice-governor of the region Alexander Vlasov.

Vlasov was found guilty of abuse of power resulting in serious consequences and organizing large-scale fraud (part 2 of article 201 and part 4 of article 159 of the Criminal Code of Russia, both of which provide for up to 10 years of imprisonment). Starodubtsev was found guilty of large-scale fraud and fraud using his official position (part 3 of article 159 of the Criminal Code, up to six years).

The court established that in August 2022, the Kuban Cossack Host received a subsidy of 100 million rubles for the purchase of property for military formations "Bars-1", "Bars-11", "Bars-16", and others involved in the military operation in Ukraine. From August to December 2022, the Host purchased uniforms, equipment, protective gear, and equipment for 57.75 million rubles, but all these items were not sent to the combat zone within the established deadlines.

According to the verdict, Starodubtsev, at Vlasov's direction, embezzled part of the purchased property worth 2.31 million rubles to sell it through an advertisement website. To conceal the theft and create the appearance of diligent performance of duties, Vlasov, exceeding his authority, ordered the submission of false information in the reporting documentation – relevant instructions were received by representatives of the units and employees of the Cossack Host.

In early 2023, during an inventory check at the warehouse, Starodubtsev discovered leftover property worth 347.87 thousand rubles, mistakenly written off according to acceptance-transfer acts, and transported it to his home while waiting for buyers – it was stored there until confiscated by law enforcement officers. The illegal activity was revealed and stopped by the regional FSB, reported the Unified Press Service of the courts of Krasnodar Krai on its Telegram channel.

In addition to the prison term, Vlasov was fined 1 million rubles and banned for three years from holding positions related to organizational, administrative, and economic powers in public service and local government. The court imposed a fine of 1 million rubles on Starodubtsev and a similar ban for two years and six months.

Both defendants previously admitted their guilt without explaining their attitude towards the charges, reported "Kommersant". Caucasian Knot currently has no comments from Vlasov, Starodubtsev, or their defense regarding the verdict and plans for appeal.

Alexander Vlasov is a veteran of military operations in Chechnya and Georgia; he was deputy head of Krasnodar Krai since 2020 and, since 2021, also ataman of the largest Cossack army in Russia, the Kuban Cossack Host.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that on May 6, the court arrested in absentia entrepreneur Roman Lyubimenko, who is accused of fraud in supplying low-quality UAVs for military needs at inflated prices. According to security officials, the fraud was revealed during the investigation of the criminal cases against Alexander Vlasov.