October 20, 2026, 11:51 AMRSSRU

Valery Rashkin

At largeChecked October 18, 2026

Valery Rashkin, born 1955, Saratov Oblast. Charges: Article 258 part 2, Russian Criminal Code (Part 2 of the Article describes the following qualifying criteria: 1) by a person with abuse of his…); “The case of Valery Rashkin on the murder of a moose”. Sentence (April 21, 2022): 3 years of suspended imprisonment. Status: at large.

In brief

Saratov Oblast · NULL · Politicians

Sentence

3 years

of suspended imprisonment

Verdict April 21, 2022

No information about an appeal ruling.

Charges

  • Article 258 part 2, Russian Criminal Code — Part 2 of the Article describes the following qualifying criteria: 1) by a person with abuse of his official position; 2) by an organised group; 3) by a group of people with prior agreement.
Full wording of the charges

According to the version of the investigation, illegally hunted moose.

Latest event

May 22, 2024 — persecution ends

Checked October 18, 2026 · no changes since October 15

Timeline

  1. · Persecution ends

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

  3. · First-instance verdict

    guilty verdict · 3 years

  4. · Persecution begins

    The case of Valery Rashkin on the murder of a moose

Criminal case

The case of Valery Rashkin on the murder of a moose

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

Details and sources

Full summary

According to OVD-Info

Deputy of the State Duma from the Communist Party of Russian Federation (CPRF) from 2000 to 2022. Member of the Presidium of the CPRF Central Committee from 2003 to 2021. Leader of the Moscow branch of the CPRF until 2022. Actively participated in protest events until 2021, when he opposed electronic voting and the results of the Duma elections. In late October 2021, less than two months after the election, Rashkin was detained in the Saratov region with an animal carcass in his off-road vehicle. At first, Rashkin claimed that he had found a dead moose and wanted to take it to the police. Later, the deputy said that he was invited to the hunt, assured that it was legal, and that he shot the moose by mistake, mistaking it for a wild boar. Rashkin emphasised that he voiced his initial version in order "not to frame anyone". Rashkin considers his prosecution to be political. He noted that he had "ensured the sky in a cage to more than one hundred corrupt officials and placeman", and was engaged in the fight "for fair and clear elections". On November, 25th, 2021, Rashkin was stripped of his parliamentary immunity. In early December, it became known that he became a suspect. He was assigned a ban on certain actions as a preventive measure. On April, 22nd, 2022, Rashkin was sentenced to three years of probation. In May, he was stripped of his deputy mandate.

All fields of the record
Citizenship
Russia