A local politician in central Russia’s Vladimir region was charged with using slave labor and defrauding a soldier who fought in the Ukraine war, regional investigators said Friday.
According to the Vladimir region branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee, the politician allegedly led an organized criminal group that stole 1 million rubles ($10,350) from a soldier’s bank account between July and October.
Police investigators, who did not identify the politician by name, also claimed he violently forced three men to work for more than two years at a car wash that he owns.
Local media, citing anonymous law enforcement sources, reported that the politician is Sobinsky District deputy Nikolai Malyshev, who was elected in 2020 as a member of the ruling United Russia party.
Malyshev wrote on social media last year that he “actively cooperates with and supports” Russian soldiers serving on the front lines in Ukraine.
Police investigators released a video of the politician, whose face was blurred, being brought to court for arraignment. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison for fraud and up to 15 years for using slave labor.
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