The court agreed to transfer the defendants in the Kalimatov case from the Armavir pretrial detention center.

Fourteen defendants in a case involving large-scale theft from the Pension Fund, including the brother of the head of Ingushetia, have been transferred to the Cherkessk pretrial detention center following complaints from those arrested about conditions in the Armavir detention center.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, on February 13, the Cherkessk City Court completed the reading of the indictment against 29 people accused of embezzlement from the Pension Fund in Ingushetia. Twenty-seven of the 29 defendants pleaded not guilty. Sixteen of the defendants are women, 13 of whom are in pretrial detention. Their lawyers stated that their clients complain of "inhumane conditions" in the Armavir pretrial detention center.

The Cherkessk City Court ordered the transfer of 14 people accused of embezzling Pension Fund funds from the Armavir pretrial detention center to the Cherkessk pretrial detention center, TASS reported today.

"At the latest hearing, the court ordered the transfer of 14 defendants in the criminal case concerning the 'postal-pension' criminal organization – 13 female defendants and Magomed-Bashir Kalimatov – from the Armavir pretrial detention center to the Cherkessk pretrial detention center," the agency quoted an employee of the unified press service of the courts of Karachay-Cherkessia as saying.

Court hearings in this criminal case were held on April 2 and 3, TASS reported late in the evening of April 3. The United Press Service of the Courts of Karachay-Cherkessia reported on the Telegram channel.

During the court hearings, 25 prosecution witnesses were questioned.

"During the court hearing, the motion of the defense attorney for defendant M. to change his preventive measure due to health reasons was denied. During the court hearings, 25 prosecution witnesses were questioned, and written evidence was examined—primarily orders for pension delivery," the publication states.

The court also ordered the transfer of 14 defendants from the Armavir pretrial detention center to the Cherkessk pretrial detention center, the statement noted. The details of this decision are not provided in the publication.

As a reminder, in December 2025, the Cherkessk City Court received a criminal case regarding embezzlement of the Pension Fund. One of the defendants in the case is Magomed-Bashir Kalimatov, the brother of the head of Ingushetia, Makhmud-Ali Kalimatov.

Magomed-Bashir Kalimatov previously headed the Russian Post branch in Ingushetia. He is charged with eight counts of fraud and creating a criminal organization. Employees of the Pension Fund and Russian Post are accused of embezzling two billion rubles.

In June 2025, a court in Cherkessk sentenced Danima Ugurchieva, head of the Ekazhevo post office, to 4.5 years in prison in this case, finding her guilty of eight counts of fraud and participation in a criminal organization. Previously, a court in Cherkessk sentenced Rodimkhan Kartoeva, head of the post office in the village of Inarki.

The Ingush FSB reported numerous cases of illegally processing pensions totaling over 2 billion rubles in February 2023. Charges were brought against 34 people in connection with the embezzlement case. According to investigators, the criminal organization, which operated from 2019 to 2021, was created by Islam Seinaroyev, head of the Pension Fund in Ingushetia, and Kambulat Sukiyev, head of the Ingush branch of the Russian Post.