Russian mayor wanted on fraud charges says he joined war in Ukraine

Rustyam Abushayev, the mayor of a town in Russia’s Primorsky Krai who was put on Russia’s federal wanted list last month for allegedly committing fraud, said on Telegram that he’s joined the war in Ukraine.

On Sunday night, Abushayev, the head of a town called Bolshoy Kamen, posted a video that showed him wearing camouflage clothing and carrying a gun. In the photo’s caption, he wrote that he’s currently in the “special military operation zone.” “I made the decision to come here a long time ago, but I particularly felt the need after participating in events for the families of draftees,” he added. The mayor didn’t indicate exactly where he’s located or in what capacity he went to the combat zone.

According to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, the felony case against Abushayev was opened in March 2023. Local media outlets first reported earlier this month that the mayor had left to join the war in Ukraine.

In August 2022, Olga Romanova, the head of the NGO Russia Behind Bars, said that in addition to recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine, the Russian authorities had begun recruiting suspects in criminal cases being held in pretrial detention centers. According to Romanova, the defendants’ cases were being suspended in exchange for their participation in the war.