October 20, 2026, 10:52 AMRSSRU

Sergey Arakcheev

At largeChecked October 18, 2026

Sergey Arakcheev, born 1981, Chechnya. Charges: Article 105 part 2 item a, Russian Criminal Code (Murder of two or more persons); Article 162 (part unknown), Russian Criminal Code (Robbery (assault with intent to rob)); Article 286 (part unknown), Russian Criminal Code (Abuse of official authority); “The case of Sergey Arakcheev”. Sentence (December 26, 2007): 15 years imprisonment in a strict regime colony. Status: at large. Recognition: Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners — recognised as a political prisoner, February 17, 2009.

In brief

Chechnya · Military personnel

Sentence

15 years

imprisonment in a strict regime colony

Verdict December 26, 2007

No information about an appeal ruling.

Charges

Full wording of the charges

He participated in the murder of Said Yangulbayev, Abdulla Dzhambekov and Najmuddin Khasanov, residents of the Chechen settlement of Lakha-Varandy, and the 'KAMAZ' explosion.

Latest event

December 16, 2016 — imprisonment ends

Checked October 18, 2026 · no changes since October 15

Recognition by rights defenders

Timeline

  1. · Imprisonment ends

  2. · Persecution ends

  3. · Recognised as a political prisoner

    Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners

  4. · Preventive measure: pre-trial detention

  5. · First-instance verdict

    guilty verdict · 15 years

  6. · Preventive measure: travel ban (written undertaking)

Criminal case

The case of Sergey Arakcheev

There are no other defendants in this case in the database.

Thematic group: The case of Arakcheev and Khudyakov

Details and sources

Full summary

According to OVD-Info

Sergey Arakcheev is a serviceman, commander of an engineer-sapper company, lieutenant. Together with the commander of the APC (Armoured personnel carrier), senior lieutenant Yevgeny Khudyakov, he was accused of killing three Chechnya residents on January 15, 2003 on a country road near Grozny. According to the investigation, Khudyakov and Arakcheev, who was assigned to an APC crew, stopped a 'KAMAZ' travelling along the road, killed the driver Said Yangulbaev and the passengers Abdulla Dzhambekov and Najmuddin Khasanov, after which the 'KAMAZ' was blown up.

The defence pointed out that there were no documents proving that Arakcheev had been assigned to the APC crew, moreover, the shell casings found at the crime scene did not match the weapons that the defendants had, and no autopsy or internal examination of the corpses had been conducted. In June 2004, Arakcheev was acquitted after a jury court found him not guilty, but the verdict was overturned the same year in November. In October 2005, a jury court again found Arakcheev not guilty and he was again acquitted. This decision was publicly condemned by the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. In April 2005, the verdict was again cancelled. The third trial was held without a jury court, and in December 2007 Arakcheev was sentenced to 15 years in prison. During the third trial, the court repeatedly denied most of the defence motions, and one of Arakcheev's defenders, Alexey Dulimov, was hit by a car.

In March 2015, Arakcheev was granted the right to rehabilitation for charges of robbery and abuse of official powers. On August 5, 2016, the court rehabilitated him on these charges.

On December 16, 2016, he was released on parole.

All fields of the record
Citizenship
Russia
Sources (1)

Other people prosecuted under Article 105 part 2 item a, Russian Criminal Code

Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.

All 1 under this article →