A retired military man who had previously written a denunciation against a Caucasus historian was arrested

A court in Rostov-on-Don arrested the director of a Stavropol closed-type school, Stepan Lyubenko, in the case of sending students to clean their house. He is accused of using forced labor of children, negligence resulting in serious injury to a student, and other crimes.

Earlier, retired Colonel Lyubenko, heading the public organization “Association of Veterans of Special Forces,” wrote to the head of Dagestan Sergei Melikov a denunciation of the Caucasus historian Hadji-Murad Donogo. Because of this, the latter lost his position at the museum. Tahoe-Godi.

In addition, on November 30, 2022, during a search of Donogo, security forces seized books, flash drives, a phone and a computer with valuable historical materials. He is known as the author of dozens of books and monographs, including about the Caucasian War and Imam Shamil.

It was also established that from 2015 to 2021 Lyubenko provided false documents to the Ministry of Education of the Stavropol Territory about his classes in the Zvezda circle. On this basis, more than half a million rubles were transferred to him as salary. Although no classes were actually held.

Последние новости
Friend of missing Chechen woman detained in Grozny after picket
Human rights
Friend of missing Chechen woman detained in Grozny after picket
23 August 2026

Elena Patyaeva—a friend of Seda Suleymanova, who disappeared three years ago after being forcibly returned from St. Petersburg to Chechnya—was detained in Grozny. On August 23, Patyaeva stood by the monument to journalists who died for freedom of speech, holding a sign that read: "I demand an investigation into the murder of Seda Suleymanova." This was reported by the human rights project "Slovo Zashchite" (Word for the Defense).

Azerbaijani Ambassador Says Russian Media Hinders Closer Ties Between Baku and Moscow
Politics
Azerbaijani Ambassador Says Russian Media Hinders Closer Ties Between Baku and Moscow
23 August 2026

Azerbaijan intends to continue developing relations with Russia, despite the deteriorating media narrative surrounding Baku in Russian outlets. Rahman Mustafayev, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Russia, stated this in an interview with RTVI.

Falling debris from Ukrainian UAVs sparks fires in southern Russia
Politics
Falling debris from Ukrainian UAVs sparks fires in southern Russia
23 August 2026

Wildfires broke out in the Rostov and Krasnodar regions due to falling drone debris. In the Rostov region, the railway overhead power line was also damaged, while in the Kuban region, three people—including two children—were killed in an attack the previous day.

Case over children’s poisoning in Dagestan reaches court
Society
Case over children’s poisoning in Dagestan reaches court
22 August 2026

In Dagestan’s Karabudakhkent District, a criminal case against the head of the private Chudo kindergarten in the village of Paraul, where 10 children suffered carbon monoxide poisoning in February, has been sent to court, the republic’s prosecutor’s office said.
The woman is accused of providing services that failed to meet safety requirements for consumers’ lives and health. The case will be heard by the Karabudakhkent District Court.