Kirov Region Governor Nikita Belykh was arrested on Saturday, June 25, by order of the Basmanny Court of Moscow. This was reported by Interfax, citing the decision of Judge Artur Karpov.

"The court ruled: to satisfy the investigation's motion. To choose a preventive measure in relation to the accused Belykh in the form of detention for two months, that is, until August 24," Karpov read out the court's ruling. The motion of the governor and his defense, who asked to release Belykh on bail (at the discretion of the court) or to place him under house arrest in a village near Moscow, was rejected.

On Saturday, the official representative of the Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR) Vladimir Markin reported that Belykh was charged under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of Russia (receiving a bribe on an especially large scale).

According to investigators, the governor of the Kirov region personally and through an intermediary received a bribe in the amount of 400,000 euros (24.1 million rubles) "for committing actions in favor of the bribe giver and the Novvyatsky Ski Plant and the Forestry Management Company controlled by him, as well as for general patronage and connivance in service in the implementation by the government of the Kirov region of control over the implementation of investment projects by enterprises and the conduct of business activities in the territory of the Kirov region," Markin reported.

He also noted that investigative actions in this case are ongoing. According to him, searches have already been conducted in the administration of the Kirov region. The investigation has petitioned for the arrest of the detainee.

The Investigative Committee's petition was considered by Judge Artur Karpov. Officially, Saturday is considered a day off in court, but Karpov is the judge on duty, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported. Artur Karpov is a figure on the "Magnitsky list" and the "Savchenko list", and sanctions have been imposed against him in a number of Western countries.

At the Basmanny Court session, the investigator stated that Belykh's involvement in the crime was confirmed by evidence collected in the case, testimony from witnesses and eyewitnesses, and an operational experiment. "Belykh does not deny receiving the money, but says that it was intended for the needs of the city. Belykh's involvement in the crime is confirmed by the results of operational-search activities and an operational experiment," he said, emphasizing that eyewitnesses pointed to the governor of the Kirov region as the person who committed the crime. "There were traces of the crime on him," the investigator specified.

In his opinion, no other preventive measure other than arrest could have ensured an effective investigation of the case. Because if Belykh had remained free, he would have had real opportunities to put pressure on witnesses, destroy documents, and otherwise interfere with the investigation.

The position of the investigation was supported by the prosecutor's office. In its opinion, all investigative actions regarding the governor of the Kirov region were carried out without violations, and the arrest is an adequate preventive measure, taking into account the public danger of the crime imputed to the governor, as well as his state of health.

Belykh denied his guilt in accepting a bribe. "I gave all the explanations to the investigators. I emphasize once again that I am ready to cooperate with the investigation, I am ready to back up every word with facts, the investigation should not have any doubts that I am ready to cooperate," the governor said. "I have not taken any bribes, I do not take them, and I do not intend to make exceptions for German citizens. I have not conducted any criminal activity and I do not intend to conduct it," he asserted.

The governor stressed that he is primarily "interested in a normal competitive process." "I want to prove that I have not taken bribes, do not take them, and never intended to do so. I intend to prove that I am an honest person," he said.

Belykh's defense asked not to send him to custody, since, in their opinion, this is an unjustifiably harsh measure of restraint and the investigation did not provide evidence to the court of the need to choose it. "I believe that it is in the interests of the investigation and the court to choose for me a measure of restraint that is sufficient," the governor himself said. The lawyer emphasized that his client is a respected person, a legally elected governor, and his health in the pretrial detention center could deteriorate significantly, since he had previously been diagnosed with diabetes.

Belykh was detained on Friday in one of the bars of the Lotte Plaza shopping center in central Moscow. The Investigative Committee of Russia reported that he personally received part of the bribe there. A source for the Interfax news agency said that the governor was detained while receiving the second tranche; the first part had allegedly been transferred to him earlier through an intermediary.

On the same day, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation published photographs in which the governor of the Kirov region is depicted sitting at a large table with a white tablecloth, on which 100-euro banknotes are laid out. At the same time, Belykh is writing something with a pen on several sheets of A4 paper. In one of the photographs, a law enforcement officer shines a light on Belykh's hands, on which traces of banknotes marked with a special compound are visible.

Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that Vladimir Putin, who is currently on an official visit to China, was informed of the detention of the Kirov region governor at the time it happened.

"Law enforcement agencies work independently. There is no talk of any consultations held in advance," Peskov said. He did not assess Belykh's performance as governor, adding that it is worth relying on specific criteria rather than general assessments. The press secretary noted that "no one can be called guilty before a court decision": "The investigation investigates, the prosecution accuses, and the defense defends. Everyone has the appropriate rights."

The court arrested the governor of the Kirov region Nikita Belykh