Social media users condemned Nogmov's release.

A new military contract allowed Rustam Nogmov, convicted of murdering a pensioner in Nalchik, not only to avoid a 15-year prison sentence but also to be considered part of "Russia's elite," Facebook users* noted.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," Rustam Nogmov fully admitted his guilt in the murder of pensioner Nina Selezneva, the prosecutor stated at the trial in Nalchik. In his final statement, Nogmov asked the court "not to punish him harshly." His lawyer urged that Nogmov's awards not be taken into account in the Nalchik pensioner's murder case. In February, the court sentenced Nogmov to 15 years in prison and ordered him to pay three million rubles in moral damages. The defense team for the victims then called the verdict fair. On May 5, it was announced that Nogmov will not serve his sentence in a penal colony because he had signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense and was sent to a special military operation zone.

The post about Nogmov signing a new military contract and being sent to a combat zone instead of a prison colony had received over 90 reactions and over 30 comments on the Caucasian Knot Facebook page* as of 8:25 PM Moscow time today. Most commentators found this situation indicative and typical of Russia, and none expressed surprise.

Several commentators recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly referred to those involved in the fighting in Ukraine as the "elite." "It's people like these (the elite) who aren't afraid to hand over the country," wrote user Vadim Petlevanny. "The future elite of Russia, they're not afraid to leave the country like this," agreed Anatoly Anatoly.

"Does his school already have a desk with his name on it? Has it already hung a plaque that says, 'In this house, Hero of the Air Defense Forces, so-and-so, patriotically liquidated his grandmother'? If not yet, then it will soon," wrote Tamara Sinenko.

"Murderers are encouraged, go do what you love," stated Tatyana Bayramova.

"These are the main reasons why Russian citizens are fighting and why their prisons are empty," says Yevgeny Gennadievich Kievsky. "And then they want their Allah to send them blessings instead of punishments in the form of floods and destruction...," noted Lily Tribrat.

Eight comments were left on the "Caucasian Knot" Instagram page* about the new turn in Rustam Nogmov's career. "Let him stay there," wrote user rameta_07_. "Are they completely nuts??!!" user zlo8800 was indignant.

"Who would doubt it... It's simply terrifying that if he manages to return alive and unharmed, he'll do the same thing and maybe even worse. People like this deserve the death penalty, especially since everyone saw it on camera and it's all proven," wrote filomena_eff.

A military contract has become a common way to evade punishment.

"Caucasian Knot" has written about other cases where participation in the SVO allowed those convicted of serious violent crimes to be released without serving a sentence. Thus, three years after the death of Kurban Dalgatov in the Sovetsky District Department of Internal Affairs in Makhachkala, most of the security officials have still not been sentenced, while five of the defendants have been sent to the military operation zone in Ukraine.

In March 2024, it was announced that Vyacheslav Ryabtsev and Andrei Bykov, sentenced in 2012 to 20 years in prison in the Tsapkov gang case, had been pardoned. A source in the security forces reported that both were released after participating in the fighting in Ukraine. Bykov, accused of involvement in the murder of 16 people, was killed in the spring of 2025, and Ryabtsev, according to sources, returned to Kuban in the summer of 2023 and has been living in Krasnodar.

Former police officer and Rostov-on-Don resident Vladislav Biryukov, sentenced to 16 years for the murder of his wife in 2019, was amnestied after participating in fighting in Ukraine. According to the parents of the murdered Anna Biryukova, her husband "served only a small part of his sentence."

On February 4, 2021, former police officer from North Ossetia Vadim Tekhov was found guilty of the murder of his ex-wife, Regina Gagieva. The court sentenced him to 16 years in prison. In May 2023, Gagieva's relatives reported that Tekhov had been spotted in Vladikavkaz and demanded an explanation from the prosecutor's office regarding his release. In the summer of 2025, Tekhov was buried in Vladikavkaz, although his death was not related to his participation in the fighting. In Volgograd, Arsen Melkonyan, who never served his sentence for the death of realtor Roman Grebenyuk after a conflict in a parent-teacher chat, was able to return to the war zone after a new sentence for threatening a judge, a pretrial detention center employee, and his ex-wife. While free, Melkonyan started a personal blog on social media, where he continues to insist he is right.