The former chairperson of the Rostov court received a 10-year prison sentence

Elena Kobleva received a ten-year prison sentence for fraudulently returning boats and seine nets in exchange for overturning a magistrate's court ruling. Two other defendants in her case—the bribe-giver and the middleman—received ten-year and six-year prison sentences.

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," during the closing arguments in the case of Rostov judge Elena Kobleva, accused of accepting a bribe, the prosecutor requested a 10-year prison sentence. For the other two defendants, the prosecution requested seven and nine years in prison.

The Krasnodar Regional Court sentenced Elena Kobleva, former chairperson of the Sovetsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don, to ten years in a general regime penal colony for accepting a large bribe. 

"It was established that in December 2022, Kobleva received a bribe of 500,000 rubles. With this money, she secured the repeal of a court order to confiscate two boats and a seine net," the joint press service of the Krasnodar Krai courts reported on its Telegram channel. The former judge will serve her sentence in a general regime penal colony. Kobleva was also fined 15 million rubles, 30 times the amount of the bribe.

The court also ordered the confiscation of an amount equivalent to the bribe from Kobleva, in favor of the state. Furthermore, she was disqualified from holding public office for ten years after her release.

Kobleva was charged under paragraph "c" of Part 5 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code (accepting a bribe on a large scale), under which she faced up to 12 years in prison.

According to investigators, the bribe was given to her by Vladimir Bozhenko, the foreman of the "Land of the Don" fishing cooperative, whose illegal fishing gear was confiscated by the court. The money was transferred through businessman Nikolai Studenikin. The prosecution discovered that Studenikin gave the judge his own money, but Bozhenko later reimbursed him.

In the same case, Bozhenko was sentenced to nine years in a maximum-security penal colony under Part 4 of Article 291 of the Criminal Code (large-scale bribery). Bozhenko was also fined 15 million rubles.

Studenikin received a six-year sentence and a fine of 15 million rubles under Part 3 of Article 291.1 of the Criminal Code (mediation in large-scale bribery). 

According to investigators, in the summer of 2022, Bozhenko became involved in a case of illegal harvesting of aquatic biological resources: border guards found a pike perch he had caught without a permit. On September 28, 2022, the Azovsky District Magistrate's Court fined him and ordered the confiscation of a 480-meter seine net and two motorboats. Bozhenko complained about the situation to businessman Nikolai Studenikin, who, concerned about the cessation of fish supplies, began seeking ways to recover the confiscated property. Studenikin's business associate, Leonid Karakhanov, reported an acquaintance with Elena Kobleva. Bozhenko agreed to pay the bribe to the judge. In November 2022, Karakhanov negotiated with Kobleva, who promised to assist. The magistrate's court's confiscation order was soon overturned and remanded for a new trial. Bozhenko claims he attempted to recover the boats and seine net only through legal means.

As a reminder, in December 2025, Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin requested the High Qualifications Commission's (HQC) approval to prosecute five judges of the Sovetsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don, including Elena Kobleva. The panel  granted permission  to initiate criminal proceedings.

The new case is planned to be investigated on 13 counts. According to documents read out at the HQCJ meeting, Kobleva led an organized group of judges who issued rulings in exchange for bribes. They then passed some of the proceeds on to her. The former Rostov-on-Don court chairperson is slated to be charged with eight counts of accepting large bribes, one particularly large bribe, issuing a knowingly unjust ruling, and three counts of obstruction of justice.

On December 9, 2025, the High Qualification Qualifications Court authorized the initiation of criminal cases  against four of  Kobleva's colleagues, who, according to investigators, were part of a criminal group.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/417728