Daghestani soldiers accused of reckless driving in fatal crash that killed two Belgorod paramedics

According to the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a speeding BMW  drove through a red light in the western Russian city of Belgorod, colliding with an ambulance and killing two paramedics, 38-year-old Olga Lyubimova and 45-year-old Marina Parovyshnik.

The driver of the ambulance and three passengers of the BMW, all of whom were Daghestani soldiers, were hospitalised with various injuries.

The BMW was registered to Ramazan Gadzhimuradov, a former 28-year-old MMA children’s coach from the town of Zapolyarny, Murmansk Oblast. Gadzhimuradov was born in Daghestan, but had been living in Zapolyarny since he was a child. According to preliminary information, he was the vehicle’s driver.

Alexei Pokrovsky, head of the Murmansk Oblast MMA Federation, noted in an interview to the local media outlet Podyem after the incident that Gadzhimuradov was not a member of the federation and that he had no pedagogical education. At the same time, Pokrovsky said, he knows Gadzhimuradov personally, and as far as he knows, Gadzhimuradov is now serving in the Russian Marine Corps.

Another soldier, Murad Musaev, was in the car with Gadzhimuradov, along with their friend Isa Abdurashidov. CCTV footage shows that the car was travelling on an empty road at a speed of more than 100 km/h.

According to preliminary information, all the passengers and the driver of the BMW were under the influence of alcohol. They are now in the hospital in intensive care.

Residents of Belgorod organised a spontaneous memorial at the site of the tragedy, bringing flowers and candles in memory of the dead medics.

Residents of Zapolyarny have reported other crimes in which Gadzhimuradov may have been involved. According to them, he and his brother were rapists, and engaged in extortion, robbery and vehicle theft. They claim he was never punished for any of these crimes, as he was friends with law enforcement officers.

In addition, according to unconfirmed information, although Musaev and Gadzhimuradov signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence, they were never actually at the front, but still received social benefits and payments offered to participants of the full-scale war in Ukraine.

Russian soldiers participating in the war in Ukraine have often been involved in crimes, both at the front and behind the lines on Russian territory. Sometimes these are violent crimes, such as murder or manslaughter, but have also included fatal road accidents. For example, in January, a veteran who had escaped from the frontline caused a fatal road accident in Novosibirsk. Before signing the contract, he had been sentenced to 21 years for murder as part of a group.

In some cases, Russian soldiers have also staged fatal road accidents in occupied territories in Ukraine, including by stealing the cars of civilians.

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OC MediaElizaveta Chukharova