Cossack ataman Alexey Reznikov and his son Roman have gone on trial in Aksay, Russia, accused of stealing Cossack land worth approximately 850 million rubles.
The pair face charges of fraud and money laundering after allegedly obtaining rights to a 750,000-square-metre plot of land through deceit and abuse of trust, according to local news outlet 161.ru.
Investigators said the elder Reznikov, who serves as the elected ataman in the stanitsa of Olginskaya, carried out the alleged scheme alongside his son, a member of the same local Cossack society, and several unidentified co-conspirators. The fraudulent transactions took place between February 27, 2015, and December 20, 2016.
According to the prosecution, the defendants disposed of the land at their own discretion once the title was secured. The 750,000-square-metre territory was subsequently subdivided into smaller individual plots, which were then transferred into the ownership of acquaintances and relatives of the two men.
Alleged land scheme and Cossack leadership
The stanitsa of Olginskaya is a traditional Cossack settlement located in the Aksaysky District of Rostov Oblast, near the Don River in southern Russia. In Russian Cossack tradition, an ataman is an elected leader who heads the local Cossack society and manages communal affairs. Historically, Cossack lands in the Don region were held collectively by settlements, with local atamans responsible for managing shared agricultural territory. In modern Russia, registered Cossack societies hold legal status as recognized civic institutions with administrative roles and oversight of traditional lands.
Both Alexey Reznikov and Roman Reznikov remain in custody in a pre-trial detention facility, known in Russia as a SIZO, while the court in Aksay hears the case. Investigators have also placed a legal freeze on the defendants' property and assets while trial proceedings are underway.
Real estate fraud cases in Russian courts
The trial in Aksay comes amid ongoing legal actions against major real estate fraud across Russia. In a separate case in Novosibirsk, a court recently sentenced developer brothers Vladimir Konovalov and Anton Konovalov in absentia to terms of up to eight years in prison after they fled following the theft of 700 million rubles from defrauded property investors.
