A criminal case has been opened in Vladikavkaz against a 64-year-old coach from the ARS combat sports club, Gennady Kadzov, who is suspected of committing indecent acts against underage female students. He previously held the position of president of the National Karate Federation of North Ossetia.
According to Telegram channel BAZA, which is affiliated with law enforcement sources, investigators believe that at least four underage girls — school pupils and students of vocational colleges — were among Kadzov’s victims.
The investigation alleged that the suspect engaged in sexual acts with his trainees and exerted psychological pressure on them from reporting him. He is said to have threatened to ‘leak’ information about them to local online chats, claiming that the entire republic would learn that they were ‘whores’.
At present, law enforcement authorities have identified around 10 episodes of alleged offences, which may have taken place between 2022 and 2025. Several criminal cases have been initiated against the suspect under the article concerning indecent acts. No preventive measure has yet been selected, however, Kadzov has been suspended from his position along with his son, Inal Kadzov, who also worked as a coach at ARS.
A public page on the social network VKontakte, Sport Ossetii (‘Ossetian Sports’), published a statement from Kadzov’s second son, whose name was not disclosed. In it, he claimed that all allegations against his father were false and added that his brother has also been accused of sexual harassment.
‘Former students of the ARS combat sports club, under pressure from former employees of the club, filed statements with the Investigative Committee based on false testimony, accusing my father, head coach Gennady Kadzov, of sexual acts involving minors. Someone could not tolerate their great success and decided to remove them in such a disgraceful way’, the coach’s son stated.
He called on law enforcement authorities to review the case materials, conduct a thorough investigation, and restore justice.
‘We hope for understanding and support so that our children can continue to engage in sport in a safe and fair environment. In addition, we have substantiated arguments and evidence of Gennady Kadzov’s innocence, as well as indications that the investigation took the simplest route in order to accuse a person. An analysis of the collected materials shows that many facts were deliberately omitted, which raises serious doubts about the objectivity of a fair investigation. We have witness testimonies that not only confirm Gennady’s innocence but also call into question the actions of the relevant authorities’, the son of the suspect stated.
He believes that, for example, the investigation failed to take into account the results of forensic medical examinations.
In his view, ‘individuals involved in the case could not tolerate the great success of our team, which may indicate the existence of a deliberate conspiracy driven by mutual interests — namely, to remove an inconvenient individual from his position in order to gain access to the organisation’s resources, including financial ones’.
Investigative authorities have not officially commented on whether Kazdov would be detained.
In late March in Vladikavkaz, child psychologist Anton Shishenko was arrested. He is suspected of committing violent acts against underage patients. Shishenko worked at his own centre with children with learning disabilities, including those from other Russian regions. He came under suspicion of paedophilia after drawings by one of his patients were noticed. The boy’s parents reported Shishenko after interpreting the drawings as containing sexualised content.
Investigators concluded that Shishenko had molested the child. They later identified another underage boy as a victim. During questioning, Shishenko confessed to more than 50 episodes of abuse against children. According to the investigation, he prohibited parents from being present during sessions, assaulted children, and then forced them to remain silent, threatening to send them to orphanages should they speak out about the abuse.
Following his detention, Shishenko attempted to take his own life in a detention centre but was saved.
