The court sided with Professor Khokonov in a dispute over his dismissal from the university.

The cassation court upheld the court decisions ordering bailiffs to reinstate Murat Khokonov at Kabardino-Balkarian State University. The professor considered this decision a victory in a lengthy legal battle.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," in January, the appellate court overturned the decision of the Nalchik City Court to reinstate Professor Murat Khokonov as department head at Kabardino-Balkarian State University (KBSU). This decision contradicts previous court rulings, Khokonov stated, adding that he intends to seek justice.

Murat Khokonov's statement that the cassation court sided with him in his dispute with the bailiff service was published on May 8 on the website of the Kabardino-Balkarian Regional Court [........].

"My victory ended a long series of lawsuits with the bailiff service. The Fifth Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction in Pyatigorsk dismissed the bailiff service's cassation appeal against the appellate ruling of the Administrative Cases Panel of the Supreme Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic dated August 22, 2025. Thus, the ruling terminating the enforcement proceedings in the case of my reinstatement to work at KBSU, in accordance with the decision of the Nalchik City Court dated "On February 6, 2025, it was declared illegal," the publication states.

The professor cited a ruling by the Administrative Division of the Fifth Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction in Pyatigorsk.

"The case materials do not contain, and the court was not presented with, evidence that the employer, after issuing an order to cancel its order to dismiss M.Kh. Khokonov on February 7, 2025, actually allowed him to perform his previous duties. These circumstances, established on the basis of a proper assessment of the evidence presented, led to the correct conclusion that the bailiff had no grounds to terminate the enforcement proceedings," the report quotes from the document.

There is no doubt that I will be reinstated.

Khokonov expressed confidence that he will be reinstated. by court order. "Acting Rector of KBSU [Yuri] Altudov is obligated to reinstate me in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic dated May 22, 2024, and I have no doubt that I will be reinstated," he stated.

As a reminder, Murat Khokonov was first fired on September 4, 2023, after his three-day trip to Turkey for the wedding of the daughter of a friend—a member of the KBSU Board of Trustees. The trip took place on May 25, 2023, and Khokonov notified management in advance. He was fired for "terminating his security clearance to access state secrets." Khokonov himself linked his dismissal to his speech at the Academic Council, where he raised the issue of the low salaries of KBSU faculty members compared to the high salaries of the university's administrative staff.

In October 2023, activists contacted the head of Kabardino-Balkaria, Kazbek Kokov, regarding Murat Khokonov's dismissal. His lawyer stated that the professor had the lowest level of access to state secrets, which did not prevent him from traveling abroad.

In May 2024, the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria upheld Khokonov's claim and ordered his reinstatement as head of the department. On June 3, 2024, Khokonov reported that the university had handed him two orders at once: one for reinstatement to his position and one for suspension from work due to the fact that he had been stripped of his security clearance.