Three Nizhny Novgorod residents are accused of embezzling 13 million rubles from the fighters of the Special Military Operation.

      On May 1, 2026, at 18:07, incidents were reported that the Nizhny Novgorod District Court has remanded three defendants in custody in a fraud case involving participants of the Special Military Operation (SMO). This was reported by the press service of the regional court.

      On May 1, 2026, the court reviewed the motions from the investigation regarding the selection of a preventive measure. The case concerns the defendants under part 4 of article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - fraud committed by an organized group on a particularly large scale.

      According to the investigation, the defendants acted as part of an organized group. They found men who were about to sign contracts to serve in the Armed Forces of Russia in the SMO zone, assisted them with document processing, and then gained access to their bank accounts.

      Investigators believe that the defendants connected their subscriber numbers to the victims' accounts and transferred money to controlled accounts through a mobile banking application.

      The total amount of stolen funds, according to the investigation, exceeded 13 million rubles. The court granted the investigator's motions and chose a preventive measure in the form of detention for all three defendants until June 28, 2026, inclusive.

      Earlier, the Moscow District Court sent two other defendants in the fraud case to pre-trial detention. They collectively defrauded SMO participants of 13 million rubles. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has channels on Telegram and MAX. Subscribe to stay updated on major events, exclusive materials, and operational information. Copyright © 1999—2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod". When reprinting, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is mandatory. This resource may contain materials for ages 18+.