The evidence gathered by the Moscow Main Investigations Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation was found sufficient by the court to render sentences upon 17 participants of a mass fight at the Khovanskoye Cemetery. In accordance with their part, they were found guilty of offences under Parts 1 and 2 of Article 212; Part 4 of Article 111; and Paragraph C of Part 3 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code of Russia (organization of and participation in mass riots; intentional infliction of grave injuries entailed death of two persons by negligence; exceeding official powers committed with infliction of grave consequences).

The court and the investigation established that three people had died at the scene and over 30 people had suffered injuries of varying severity during the mass riots and shooting at the central entrance to the Khovanskoye Cemetery. The thorough work of investigators of the Moscow Main Investigations Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia contributed to successful reconstruction of the events dated May 14, 2016. The investigators established that Alexander Chabuev, the Head of the Moscow Territorial Department of Funeral Services No. 3 of State Budgetary Institution of Moscow “Ritual”, and Alexander Bocharnikov had organized the mass riots in order to force migrant workers from the Republic of Tajikistan out of the cemetery.

During a preliminary investigation, Sergey Ulyikhin, one of the participants, had admitted his guilt to the full and testified against other perpetrators; Vladimir Kolesnikov had admitted his guilt partially.

The investigation presented a particular difficulty, due to a great amount of investigative and procedural activities to establish the circumstances to be proved under Article 73 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Russia, as well as due to arrangement of complex forensic examinations, such as ballistic, medical and forensic, portrait, molecular and genetic, fingerprinting, and others. The investigators of the Investigative Committee collected evidence of complicity and determined the role in the offences for each of the 17 defendants.

Today, the court sentenced Alexander Chabuev to 11 years of imprisonment; Alexander Bocharnikov to 9 years of imprisonment; Elbek Vaduev to 11 years and 6 months of imprisonment; in a strict-regime correctional colony.

Sergey Ulyikhin was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months of imprisonment in a general-regime correctional colony.

13 more defendants were sentenced to imprisonment for periods from 4 years 9 months to 5 years 6 months, in a general-regime correctional colony.

The probes into other participants of the mass riots, who are in the international wanted list, are to be presented separately.