Two brothers arrested in Stavropol for using slave labor

A court in the Kochubeevsky district of Stavropol has arrested two brothers accused of forcing a young man into slave labor for a year and a half. A video message from the victim was published by the "Russian Community" association.

"Caucasian Knot" wrote that the "Alternative" movement considers Rostov Oblast and Stavropol Krai to be the most problematic regions in southern Russia in terms of labor slavery.

On March 19, investigative authorities in Stavropol Krai reported on their investigation into a case of slavery in Stavropol. According to the agency, two brothers from the village of Kochubeyevskoye in the Kochubeyevsky District held a 22-year-old man in slavery from August 2024 to March 2026.

The victim had no means of support or close relatives, which the brothers knew. They offered the young man "a job with a good salary," after which they took away his cell phone, passport, and military ID, and restricted his freedom.

"Using violence, they forced the man to perform various household tasks, including car repairs and construction services. All of this was filmed on a cell phone," the regional Investigative Committee reported.

In the home of the men detained in the case of using slave labor (Article 127.2 of the Russian Criminal Code, which carries a prison sentence of three to ten years), investigators found the victim's documents and a stun gun. A video of the young man being beaten was found on their phones. On March 19, Investigative Committee Head Alexander Bastrykin requested a report on the investigation. A statement from the Investigative Committee's central office noted that the victim, who was forced "to work only for food," is the son of a man killed in a war zone in Ukraine.

The Kochubeevsky District Court of Stavropol remanded the defendants in custody that same day at the request of the investigation. The brothers have been remanded in custody for two months, until May 18, 2026. "The defendants owned, used, and disposed of the victim solely for their own benefit, exercising powers inherent in property rights," the United Press Service of the Courts of Stavropol noted in a statement. The victim in this message is identified by the initials D.

"Russian Community" reported on a "joint special operation" with security forces

A day earlier, on March 18, the nationalist group "Russian Community" published a video message on its Telegram channel from a victim of slavery in the Kochubeyevsky District of Stavropol, identifying him as Danil. According to "Russian Community," the victim, having gained access to a mobile phone, first contacted them. Activists "promptly interviewed witnesses, collected direct and indirect evidence of the abuse," and "organized a joint special operation" with criminal investigation officers in the Kochubeyevsky District.

The accused, identified by the Russian community as Azerbaijanis, subjected the young man to "systematic threats, intimidation, and beatings with pipes, rebar, electricity, and an electrical cord," the statement said. In a video accompanying the publication, the victim displays bruises on his legs and other injuries.

In the statement, the victim identifies himself as a resident of the "Giaginsky District of Krasnodar Krai" (Giaginsky District is in Adygea, but not in Krasnodar Krai - note from "Caucasian Knot"). He says he's been working for "two years now" "for a cup of soup." "They beat me, beat me, curse me. I haven't been able to communicate with my mother normally for two years now; I have no phone, no money, nothing. They beat me with a cord, a stun gun, sticks, and metal bars," he says in the recording.

The Investigative Committee's publications about the investigation make no mention of the "Russian Community" involvement. They also fail to mention the origins, citizenship, or last names of the accused.