The prosecutor's office demanded the seizure of property worth 1.6 billion from the Kopaigorodskys.

The court accepted the Prosecutor General's Office's claim, which demanded the seizure of 14 apartments, land plots, cars, and other property belonging to Alexey and Yanina Kopaigorodsky and individuals and organizations associated with them. The defense team for the former Sochi mayor called the agency's demand unfounded.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on September 22, the Moscow City Court extended the arrest of Alexey Kopaigorodsky by three months, until December 24.

The Prosecutor General's Office has demanded that the property of Alexey Kopaigorodsky, as well as that of his relatives and other individuals and legal entities, be forfeited to the state. These assets include 10 cars, including five Mercedes, and luxury homes in St. Petersburg, for a total of 77 properties, Kommersant reported today.

First Deputy Prosecutor General Anatoly Razinkin's lawsuit was filed with the Khostinsky District Court of Sochi on October 16. On October 21, the judge accepted the lawsuit for consideration and granted the motion, imposing a security interest not only on the property but also on Yanina Kopaigorodskaya's bank accounts.

Aside from Alexei Kopaigorodsky and his wife, the defendants in the lawsuit include the former mayor's mother, Galina Kopaigorodskaya, five organizations, and nine individuals. The 77 properties, primarily registered to Yanina Kopaigorodskaya, include properties in Krasnodar, Gelendzhik, Sochi, the Leningrad Region, St. Petersburg, and Moscow.

This property includes a warehouse complex in Krasnodar and the Leningrad Region, several plots of land, two apartments in Gelendzhik, nine in Sochi, one near the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, and two in prestigious areas of Moscow.

According to the prosecutor's office, the properties were registered not only to Kopaigorodsky's relatives but also to individuals and legal entities associated with him. However, the prosecutor's office believes the actual owner of the property was the former mayor of Sochi himself. The prosecutor's office believes the property was obtained through corruption, the publication writes.

The defense claimed the origin of the listed property was legal.

Alexey and Yanina Kopaigorodsky deny the claim, their lawyers, Ivan Mironov and Elizaveta Metkina, told the publication. "All the objects specified in the claim are legally originated and are supported by contracts, declarations, and title documents. The grounds for the claim are not supported by admissible evidence and are based on assumptions of unjustified ownership," Elizaveta Metkina said.

Such a demand is beyond reasonable limits.

The lawyer emphasized that the property proposed for sale to the state includes "the only residence where Yanina Kopaigorodskaya's three young children permanently reside." "Such a demand is beyond reasonable limits and violates the rights of minors left without parental care," the lawyer said.

She also called the interim measures excessive, noting that the plaintiff first "wanted to seize all the property and then also freeze funds in the same amount—just in case."

"This position is completely illogical, since the seizure of the property already fully covers the stated claims. The seizure of funds is unnecessary here—it's a double restriction that has no bearing on securing the claim. Essentially, the prosecutor's office wants to freeze assets twice," said Elizaveta Metkina.

As a reminder, Krasnodar native Alexey Kopaigorodsky has been the head of Sochi since 2019. On May 14, 2024, he submitted his resignation due to a new job offer, and the following day the City Council accepted the mayor's resignation.