The gang kidnapped and killed people in the Belgorod region for 20 years.

It is suspected that the priest and the participant in the special military operation took an active part in an organized criminal group. This gang, which operated for 20 years, kidnapped and killed people in the Belgorod region. The priest and the military man were arrested until June 6 in connection with participation in serious crimes against human life committed near Belgorod.

On April 17, the Moscow City Court decided to keep clergyman Stanislav Dementeev, military man Igor Selyutin and businessman Stepan Morozov in custody. According to investigators, they were members of an organized criminal group operating in the Belgorod region.

Defense lawyers attempted to change the preventive measure. However, the court, despite the defense's arguments, came to the conclusion that the accused might try to escape and decided to extend their arrest until June 6.

According to investigators, in the late 1980s - early 1990s, an unknown person created an organized criminal group (OCG) in the Belgorod region. Gang members were recruited from among the residents of the Gubkinsky district. At a certain point, Dementeev, Selyutin and Morozov joined them.

In the period from 1997 to 2017, the group was highly active. During this time, its members committed killings on order and kidnapped people for the purpose of personal enrichment.

Details are not disclosed due to the interests of the investigation. According to information from Kommersant sources, we are talking about at least several dozen serious and especially serious crimes.

The only two surviving victims from the activities of the organized crime group are a woman and a citizen of Abkhazia. The other two victims have still not been found.

The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under three articles: “Murder”, “Kidnapping” and “Extortion”.

One of the members of an organized crime group went to serve in a special military operation (SVO), and another became a priest. During the investigation, investigators found out that one of the alleged leaders of the organized crime group took part in the SVO zone and died during the fighting.

Another person involved in the case, Dementeev, was baptized and took the name Evstafiy. First, he served as a cleric in the North Baikal diocese in Buryatia, and then served in the parish of the Church of All Saints who shone in the Russian land, in the village of Belenikhino, Prokhorovsky district, Belgorod region.

At the front line, they managed to locate and detain the wanted Selyutin. Until his arrest, he served in the Pyatnashka brigade, which fought in the Donbass for a long time. In addition, this serviceman was awarded the medal “For the Liberation of Kodor” for his participation in military operations on the territory of Abkhazia.

The court decided to further keep the defendants in custody.

At the court hearing, Selyutin's lawyer argued that the accusations were unsubstantiated and that 26 years had passed since the alleged crimes. He also referred to many honorary awards and commendations for the professionalism and success shown during the service in the Northern Military District. The lawyer noted that his client does not pose a threat to society.

However, the court decided to keep the suspects in custody, explaining this by the possibility of them using connections in a criminal environment and the opportunity to take refuge abroad, including on the territory of Ukraine.