The former head of Volgodonsk was convicted in a fraud case.
The court in the Rostov region sentenced former head of Volgodonsk Yuri Marinenko to five years in prison for housing fraud. He was also fined by the court and stripped of his titles and awards.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", at the end of December 2025, the court detained former mayor of Volgodonsk Yuri Marinenko, suspected of fraud.
According to the investigation, from May 11, 2015, to May 20, 2016, he misled officials of the city administration, as a result of which he and a family member were recognized as low-income for housing provision, reports "Interfax" citing the press service of the Rostov region courts.
Later, Marinenko was provided housing based on a social rental agreement. He then gratuitously transferred housing worth more than 2.5 million rubles to a family member.
Marinenko was found guilty of large-scale fraud , and he was sentenced to five years in a general regime colony with a fine of 700,000 rubles. In addition, he is prohibited from holding positions in the civil service within law enforcement agencies related to the exercise of authority functions for three years.
Furthermore, the former official was stripped of the special rank of police colonel, as well as awards "For Distinction in Service" of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd classes, "200 Years of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia", "Best Employee of the Criminal Police", and "For Loyalty to Duty", informs "Kommersant".
During the debates, the state prosecution requested a harsher punishment for the defendant: six years of imprisonment and a fine of 900,000 rubles, reports today’s edition of "Bloknot-Volgodonsk".
Throughout all hearings, the defense insisted on the absence of a crime and the lack of evidence of guilt. The five-year sentence in a general regime colony was strict but not the maximum decision of the court - the judge reduced the amount of the fine and the term of imprisonment compared to the prosecution's request. Yuri Marinenko categorically did not admit his guilt.
In July 2025, Marinenko resigned from the post of head of the Volgodonsk administration, which he held since March 2024. Before that, he headed the inter-municipal department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs "Volgodonsk".
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that at the end of June, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don satisfied the prosecutor's claim against the former head of the city police, Sergey Shpak, accused of bribery and fraud. The court recovered from him 15 million for the benefit of the state.