A Russian General Was Sent To A Pretrial Detention Center In Connection With A Case Involving A Private Military Company That “eliminated” Dissidents

Some interesting details have come to light.

Major General of the Russian Armed Forces Alexander Dembitsky, who previously commanded the 44th Army Corps of the Leningrad Military District, was arrested for two months in connection with a criminal case involving the private military company “Yastreb,” whose founder has been charged with murder, extortion, kidnapping, and other crimes against his own fighters. Sources familiar with the matter told RBC that Dembitsky had been transferred to the Lefortovo pretrial detention center in connection with a case of particularly large-scale fraud RBC was informed by sources familiar with the matter, as well as five victims; the 235th Garrison Military Court also confirmed the arrest. According to the publication’s sources, the general is accused of organizing a fraudulent scheme involving payments to military personnel, which resulted in the theft of more than 8.8 million rubles.

The case against Dembitsky was opened in February 2025 and is being handled by the Main Military Investigative Directorate (GVSU) of the Investigative Committee of Russia, which has already questioned more than 800 witnesses. On the eve of the general’s arrest, a trial began in a Belgorod court regarding the case of Alexei Marushchenko , founder of the “Yastreb” private military company that fought in Ukraine , who, along with his alleged accomplices, is in custody on charges of a number of crimes. Among other things, the ten accomplices were charged with carrying out reprisals and torturing disgruntled members of the group. According to Marushchenko, “Yastreb” operated out of the 22nd Motorized Rifle Regiment, part of the 44th Army Corps commanded by Dembitsky. Dembitsky did not admit guilt and stated that he would appeal the arrest decision.

RBC sources say that 89 military personnel have been recognized as victims in the case. According to sources, Marushchenko and his associates encouraged recruits arriving at military registration and enlistment offices to join the “Yastreb” private military company, promising that they would “earn significantly more money and avoid problems in the army.” However, the recruits were subsequently required to pay between 30,000 and 200,000 rubles from their lump-sum payments for “processing paperwork,” purchasing drones and equipment, or in exchange for a promise not to send them to the front lines. One of the candidates paid the perpetrators 1.25 million rubles.

In August 2024, accomplices kidnapped a sergeant who had been serving at a communications post in the Belgorod Region and took him to a PMC base in the village of Myasoedovo, where they beat the victim—who was tied to a tree—for several days until he handed over 500,000 rubles.

In addition, according to the investigation, in September 2024, the accomplices kidnapped military correspondent Roman Semenov in St. Petersburg, who had been passing on information he had gathered about the crimes of the “Yastreb” group to law enforcement. At a field camp in Luga, they took 35,000 rubles from him, beat him, and subjected him to waterboarding. Investigators stated that Semenov was then taken to Myasoedovo, where he was held for 12 days. The victim’s wife was demanded to pay 1 million rubles, under threat that her husband would be killed. Semenov was released on Marushchenko’s orders only after the kidnapped man’s wife contacted the police.

It is reported that the head of the private military company entered into a pretrial agreement with investigators and made a confession. The accomplices have been charged with murder, illegal arms trafficking, violation of the inviolability of the home, particularly large-scale fraud, extortion, two kidnappings, and abuse of authority involving the use of torture.

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