The head of Shlisselburg, after leaving the pre-trial detention center, entered the city administration building along with ten people with chains and grinders

In the Leningrad region, the head of Shlisselburg, Artem Zheludov, after leaving the Kresty pre-trial detention center, entered the city administration building with the aim of “seizing power.” This was reported on the official page of the Shlisselburg administration on VKontakte.

“Zheludov, released from Kresti, and his accomplices burst into the administration office at 7:00 am today with grinders and chains, threatening violence, kicked out the guards and barricaded the building,” the report says. According to administration officials, Zheludov personally “controlled” the entrance to the premises where documents, computers and servers are stored, and did not allow the police to enter.

“Ten people, led by Zheludov, entered the building. His companions are sporty looking. The guards said they looked like employees of a local funeral company; some had bulging pockets. The guards were told something like, “If you don’t leave, we’ll break their heads.” They got really scared and retreated. The entrance to the administration was blocked with chains,” told 47news . acting head of the Shlisselburg administration Spartak Chkhetia

Chkhetia added that several deputies were unable to join the administration, and as a result, the council meeting had to be moved to Kirovsk, the regional center. There, Zheludov’s resignation from office was discussed. The formal reason for this was that the official did not come to work on October 6, the day after his release from the pre-trial detention center (the Leningrad Regional Court changed Zheludov’s preventive measure to prohibit certain actions).

After a meeting of the Council of Deputies, its leader, Maxim Lashkov, handed Zheludov a resolution on temporary suspension. Zheludov himself signed and dated the document, and handed Lashkov a notice that he had fired Spartak Chkhetia.

In the afternoon, representatives of the city authorities refused to comment to RBC, citing “investigative actions.” The regional department of the Investigative Committee also did not comment on Zheludov’s entry into the building.

In June 2023, a criminal case was opened against Zheludov for abuse of official powers (Part 2 of Article 285 of the Criminal Code) for four episodes that occurred in 2018 and 2019, when he headed the administration of the Priladozhsky rural settlement.

While in pretrial detention, Zheludov told 47news that Shlisselburg is a city in which problems accumulated and were not resolved “not just for years, but for decades.” He claimed that after transferring the position of head of the city administration, he did not sign documents that, in his opinion, would cause significant damage to the budget.

“As a result of my principled position, the former leaders of the Kirov region persecuted me and tortured me with inspections from various regulatory authorities and law enforcement agencies,” Zheludov emphasized.