A priest and a military man were arrested in connection with the murders near Belgorod

In the Belgorod region, a priest and a military man were arrested in connection with murder

Photo: flickr.com

The investigation into the case of kidnapping, extortion and murder, which involves priest Stanislav Dementeev, serviceman Igor Selyutin and businessman Stepan Morozov, is being carried out by the Investigative Committee, reports Kommersant.

According to investigators, the accused were members of an organized criminal group made up of residents of the Gubkinsky district of the Belgorod region, formed between 1980 and 1990. According to the case, they committed crimes from 1997 to 2017 with the aim of personal enrichment and establishing criminal influence in the region.

Despite the fact that at least two potential victims of the criminal group members have not yet been discovered, sources newspapers point to dozens of serious crimes. Representatives of the Investigative Committee emphasized that it is too early to disclose the details of the investigation.

One of the alleged leaders of the group died during a military operation after being sent as a volunteer to a combat zone, the publication reports, without disclosing his name. Igor Selyutin also took part in hostilities.

Selyutin’s lawyers noted that many years had passed since the crimes were committed, and he did not pose a danger to society, and also voluntarily went into service after the start of active hostilities. At the time of his arrest, he was in military service, serving in the Pyatnashka brigade as a sniper and being awarded for his success. The defense argues that Selyutin is not a criminal, but a responsible citizen fulfilling his duty to his Motherland.

Priest Dementeev, also known as Evstafiy, is a cleric of the Gubkin diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. He temporarily performed services in the Church of All Saints in the village of Belenikino, Prokhorovsky district, Belgorod region.

The court rejected the defense's requests to cancel the arrest of the defendants and extended it until June 6 under articles of the Criminal Code on murder, kidnapping and extortion. According to the court, Dementeev, Selyutin and Morozov have extensive connections in the criminal environment and can escape to avoid punishment, including on the territory of Ukraine.