The Sovetsky District Court in Krasnodar ruled in the case of former deputy governor Vladimir Vlasov and his adviser, Aleksandr Starodubtsev, concerning military supplies allocated to units fighting in Ukraine. Vlasov was sentenced to 14 years in prison, while Starodubtsev received a six-year sentence.
The court found that Vlasov organized the theft of supplies that were supposed to be sent to military units and abused his authority. Starodubtsev was also fined 1 million rubles and barred from working in public positions for two and a half years.
Supplies purchased with state funds were not delivered
In August 2022, the Kuban Cossack organization received 100 million rubles in state funding to purchase military supplies for BARS-1, BARS-11, BARS-16 and other units fighting in Ukraine.
Between August and December, the organization purchased uniforms, protective equipment and other supplies worth 57.75 million rubles. However, the products were not delivered to the relevant units by the deadline.
The court concluded that, acting on Vlasov’s instructions, Starodubtsev stole supplies worth approximately 2.31 million rubles to sell them on Avito, an online classifieds platform. Belts, gloves, raincoats, boots and socks were listed for sale, and the stolen products were found at Starodubtsev’s home.
It was also established that, in early 2023, Starodubtsev took supplies worth 347,868 rubles that had been recorded as delivered and kept them at his home until he found a buyer. Law enforcement officers confiscated the products.
Delivery documents were used in an attempt to conceal the theft
According to the court’s findings, Vlasov instructed employees of the Cossack organization and representatives of the military units to conceal the theft by altering delivery records.
A member of one of the BARS units said he had signed a delivery document for supplies worth approximately 20 million rubles on Vlasov’s instructions, but the products never reached him. In testimony read during the trial, he said shortages of uniforms, unmanned aerial vehicles and other equipment prevented the units from fully carrying out their missions.
Vlasov was detained after leaving office
Vlasov became deputy governor of Krasnodar region in September 2020 and took over as head of the Kuban Cossack organization in 2021. After leaving his post as deputy governor in September 2025, Vlasov announced that he planned to join the Kuban brigade fighting in Ukraine. He was detained the following day.
In addition to the 1 million ruble fine, Vlasov was barred for three years from holding managerial or administrative positions in state or local governments. Both defendants will serve their sentences in general-regime penal colonies.
The court’s ruling has not yet become legally final.
