The Kuban pensioner stated in court about being beaten by the guards.

The accused in the case of the Kuban pensioners, Nikolai Nabiyev, was brought to the military court in Rostov-on-Don with a bruise on his face. The defendant stated that he was beaten by the guards when he asked for medicine.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", pensioners Nikolai Nabiyev, Sergey Kuzovenko, and Marina Zakharova, accused of creating an illegal armed formation, complained about health problems in the pre-trial detention center. In 2025, the Uspensky District Court of Krasnodar Krai refused to issue a verdict and transferred the case to the Southern District Military Court. Activists who managed to attend the court session on May 17 stated that the pensioners looked sick and exhausted.

The accused Nikolai Nabiyev attended another session of the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don with a bruise on his cheek under his left eye, reported "Mediazona" on October 13.*

The bruise was clearly visible on October 12, the publication notes. Explaining its origin, the defendant stated that he was beaten by the guards when he "asked for medicine."

"They took my nitroglycerin, but I have seizures. Well, they hit me in the face. [The officer] insulted me, humiliated me with foul language, as he wanted," said the 68-year-old pensioner. At the request of Judge Maxim Nikitin, the guards returned the defendant a vial of nitroglycerin for the duration of the session.

Nabiyev reports health problems: for instance, he lost consciousness on September 7 when he was being taken from the detention center to court. According to him, he woke up in intensive care and spent three days there. He was then transferred to the intensive care unit, where he remained until early October.

Previously, Nikolai Nabiyev suffered two heart attacks: the first occurred in 2021 after a conflict with traffic police officers, the second – already in the detention center. Nabiyev claims that the patrol officers beat him and took his car, leaving him on the road, and complaints about the police's actions led to criminal prosecution.

Nabiyev, Zakharova, and Kuzovenko are charged with creating a "people's squad of the territorial clan community 'Rusy Kubani'" in Armavir and selling a pistol. The prosecution in 2024 claimed that they acquired weapons to destroy cellular towers. Subsequently, a motive of "terrorist activity" was added to the case, which allowed it to be transferred to the Southern District Military Court at the end of 2025.

In December 2025, the process in Rostov-on-Don was postponed due to Nabiyev's health condition – doctors did not allow him to participate in the sessions, and the detention period for all defendants was extended.

In May 2026, activists and human rights defenders appealed to the management of the pre-trial detention center No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don, requesting medical examinations for the pensioners. According to the authors of the letters, Nabiyev and Kuzovenko, who have a second group of disability, are held on the basement floor and complain about dampness, lack of walks, and difficulties in calling a doctor.

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