[Regnum] FSB officers in the Chelyabinsk region have detained former special forces officers suspected of high-profile murders of entrepreneurs committed approximately 20 years ago. This was reported on February 20 by the press service of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.
As the investigation established, in May 2004, the defendants, who were then serving in the police, had prearranged a meeting with a 39-year-old businessman and provoked an argument. They shot and killed the man with a firearm.
The second incident occurred in April 2006. In the basement of the building, the same individuals opened fire with automatic weapons on a 48-year-old businessman. The victim was hit by at least twenty bullets, and died instantly.
The perpetrators were unable to be identified immediately after the crimes, so the cases had to be suspended. However, forensic experts continued working to solve these murders and eventually tracked down the perpetrators.
"The defendants have been detained and charged with committing a crime under paragraphs "a" and "g" of Part 2 of Article 105 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Murder of two persons committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy"). At the request of an investigator from the Russian Investigative Committee, the court has ordered their pretrial detention," the agency's Telegram channel reported.