Residents of Poltavskaya collected 1,500 signatures in defense of the former head of the village.

The Court of Appeal has increased the sentence of Vladimir Pobozhy, the former head of the village of Poltavskaya, to three years in prison for waste removal and disposal. Law enforcement agencies have ignored complaints about the landfill for years, and Pobozhy, who helped activists fight against the landfill, was convicted of removing branches, residents of the village were outraged.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," in November 2024, the Krasnodar Regional Court dismissed the case regarding the resumption of operations at the landfill near the village of Poltavskaya, as the landfill operator withdrew its lawsuit against the regional Ministry of Energy and Housing and Public Utilities. In September of the same year, Yuri Voskanyants, a lawyer for the ANO "Green Stanitsa," reported that another case was expected to be filed in the Krasnoarmeysky District Court – a lawsuit by "Green Stanitsa" demanding the closure of the landfill. In December 2023, the governor of Kuban Veniamin Kondratyev announced that the landfill near the village of Poltavskaya had been closed, but activists called for documentary confirmation of the landfill's closure. In September 2024, opponents of the landfill reported that the landfill operator was attempting to overturn the order to suspend operations through the courts. The cassation court in Krasnodar overturned the decisions of lower courts that refused to ban waste disposal at the landfill near the village of Poltavskaya. The case has been remanded for a new trial, a victory the activists consider a victory.

On September 17, the regional prosecutor's office registered a collective petition from residents of the village of Poltavskaya asking for either no punishment or a mitigated sentence for the former head of the village, Vladimir Pobozhy. One and a half thousand people signed the petition (a copy is in the possession of "Caucasian Knot"). The criminal prosecution and trial of Pobozhy lasted more than a year.

"The fate of Vladimir Pobozhy has become a symbol for the village of Poltavskaya. "We are confident that the verdict is not about 'fighting crime,' but about reprisals against a man who sided with the residents in the fight for clean air and against garbage dumps," says local deputy and founder of the Green Stanitsa NGO, Sergei Salnikov, who organized the signature drive and was personally involved in collecting signatures in defense of the 65-year-old head of the village.

Vladimir Pobozhiy himself told a "Caucasian Evil" correspondent that he does not consider himself guilty and did everything for the good of the village and its residents, where he has lived since childhood. He considers the sentence and its harsher consequences "a way to punish him for supporting the people's movement to close the garbage dump in the Poltavskaya village."

On December 13, 2024, the Krasnoarmeysky District Court found Vladimir Pobozhy guilty of abuse of office (Clause "e" of Part 3 of Article 286 of the Russian Criminal Code) and sentenced him to a suspended sentence of three years in prison. The court took into account numerous mitigating circumstances and concluded that the former head could be rehabilitated without social isolation. The district head was accused of signing a contract for less than 100,000 rubles for the removal and disposal of biowaste from village residents for disposal outside the village in 2020. According to Vladimir Pobozhy, he had no alternative to waste disposal, as there are no such sites in the region. All village heads are forced to seek such sites within their territories. Otherwise, the region's villages will simply drown in their own biowaste, which is not classified as municipal solid waste.

Pobozhy appealed the verdict within the time limit. In his appeal, he cited the garbage problem in the villages, which should be addressed but isn't being addressed at a higher level. The court denied Pobozhy's appeal of his not guilty verdict. The regional prosecutor's office, having missed all the deadlines for appeal (the Krasnodar Regional Court reinstated the deadline for appealing the verdict on May 26, based on the prosecutor's complaint), filed an appeal more than six months later. On September 1, 2025, the panel of judges of the Krasnodar Regional Court increased the sentence, replacing the suspended sentence with a three-year prison sentence in a penal colony and depriving Pobozhy of the right to hold civil service positions.

A press release about the regional court's amended sentence appeared on the Telegram channel of the United Press Service of the Courts of Krasnodar Krai even before the convicted man himself received the text of the September 1, 2025, decision. “The verdict was announced on September 1st, however, I still haven’t received it, even though it’s already September 17th. And I don’t know when they’ll give it to me. Naturally, I’ll appeal it. But how can I appeal without seeing the text of the verdict?” - Pobozhy asked.

 "Pobozhy's sentence is a sentence for us all," say residents of Poltavskaya.

 In their appeal to the regional prosecutor, residents of the village emphasized that the punishment handed down to Pobozhy is "clearly unfair and excessively harsh." They are asking that the first-instance verdict be upheld, if not overturned, and that the suspended sentence be maintained.

"Vladimir Anatolyevich dedicated his entire life to serving the village, was always there for the people, and helped everyone. Does a man who has done so much good for society really deserve to be sent to prison for recycling branches and boards?" — the residents' letter states.

Residents of the village emphasize that the mayor had no intention of breaking the law, as the court and prosecutors accused him of. While the landfill in Poltavska was closed, garbage accumulated, and the village mayor was faced with a choice: either leave the village awash in trash or seek temporary solutions.

According to local residents, the waste was not toxic, but branches, boards, and construction debris that municipal services were not removing. "If we had legal disposal sites for such waste, he would have taken it there. But there were no such sites. "Instead of solving the waste crisis, law enforcement has found someone to blame—an honest and respected leader," residents are outraged, signing a letter to the regional prosecutor.

"Pobozhiy has been deliberately made the scapegoat. He never hid from the people; he always solved our problems openly and honestly. He defended our rights. People are outraged because they punished someone who tried to fight the waste problem, instead of the real environmental criminals. Together with him, we fought for the closure of the landfill in the village of Poltavskaya, whose toxins affected residents. But no one has been punished, no one has been held accountable, and he's been dragged around for two years now for branches that are biodegradable waste, and he was stripped of the position he held in the interests of the people for almost 20 years. Instead of an anniversary and a well-deserved pension, he's been imprisoned and separated from his family and fellow villagers for three years. "Is this normal?" Sergei Salnikov told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Pobozhiy wasn't afraid to stand up for the residents, openly fought against the landfill, and paid for it, says Natalia Garyaeva, leader of the "Poltavskaya Against the Landfill" movement. "Today, his health is undermined by constant interrogations and trials. He recently underwent heart surgery. But even that wasn't enough. Now they want to deprive him of his freedom. This is unfair. And we will not remain silent. It was Pobozhy who stood at the origins of the public movement "Poltavskaya Against the Landfill" and in every way helped and supported our fight against lawlessness and environmental crimes. It was he who passed on to us a letter about rice contamination and its health risks. It was he who spoke at numerous meetings and planning sessions and called on the officials who were poisoning us with the landfill in Poltavskaya to stop and seek an alternative," the activist says.

"He was and remains devoted to his village and its people, always helping and supporting public initiatives. Condemning such a person for trying to restore order is wrong and painful for us all," Vera told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. Stodolya.

Pobozhiy has done a lot for Poltavskaya, says village resident Vladimir Manyakhin. "Roads, sidewalks, landscaping. I've known him since 1995. Back then, he was our postmaster. He was known for his integrity and responsibility. Then, for almost 20 years, he was the head of our village. He knows everyone by name, and everyone knows him. He's aware of all the problems. He's with us, with the people. And now he's been convicted for practically nothing. Punishment for such a person, instead of praise, is bitter and offensive. Those who poisoned us with the waste from the Poltavskaya landfill are not being punished. And this once again proves the injustice of the sentence. "That's why I signed the letter to the prosecutor, like other residents of the village," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Residents and activists note that Pobozhy's sentence appears far-fetched. The court documents contain no direct evidence of intent, and the damages under the contract were "ridiculously small," not even reaching 100,000 rubles. There are no alternative places where the village's branches or other bio-waste could be taken. At the same time, in Poltavskaya itself, a large landfill continues to emit toxic substances and has not yet been reclaimed. According to activists, it violates environmental standards and threatens human health, including rice paddies. However, law enforcement agencies show no interest in these violations, despite dozens of complaints having been filed.

"Instead of holding accountable those who create real "Environmental crimes punished a man who cared for his village his entire life," concludes Natalia Gariaeva, leader of the Poltavskaya movement against the landfill.