Ex-Belgorod Mayor Killed in Ukraine After Joining Russian Army Following Prison Sentence

Former Belgorod mayor and former regional deputy governor Konstantin Polezhayev has been killed while serving in Russia’s war against Ukraine, after signing a military contract following his conviction in a multimillion-ruble bribery case.

According to Belgorod-based outlet Fonar on September 22, Polezhayev’s relatives confirmed his death but did not disclose when, where, or under what circumstances he was killed. The outlet said he had served in Russia’s 1st Assault Battalion of the 272nd Motorized Rifle Regiment and was killed outside the Belgorod region.

Polezhayev headed Belgorod from 2015 to 2019 before moving to the regional government, where he later became deputy governor responsible for housing and utilities. His government career ended in 2023 following criticism over reconstruction work in settlements near the Ukrainian border.

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Shortly afterward, Russian authorities detained Polezhayev in a corruption case. Investigators accused him of accepting the use of two expensive vehicles worth more than 18 million rubles—about $216,000 at an exchange rate of 83 rubles per dollar—in return for providing favorable treatment to a construction company.

In August 2024, a Belgorod court found Polezhayev guilty of accepting a particularly large bribe and sentenced him to five years in a maximum-security penal colony. He was also fined 36 million rubles (about $400,000) and barred from holding government positions for eight years.

Polezhayev had signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry shortly before sentencing. In October 2024, an appeals court suspended proceedings in his criminal case after receiving a request from the commander of his military unit confirming that he was serving under contract.

Earlier, a senior official linked to Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor was killed in a Ukrainian strike on temporarily occupied Kyrylivka in the Zaporizhzhia region. Mikhail Ivanov, who headed the local office of Roskomnadzor’s Main Radio Frequency Center, had previously served in the Russian military and was reportedly involved in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

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