The court extended the arrest of Vasya Bandit for 3 months in the case of extortion of € 5 million.

The Tagansky Court of Moscow extended the measure of restraint in the form of detention until June 21 to Igor Kokunov, known by the criminal nickname Vasya Bandit, accused of extorting € 5 million. This was reported on March 16 by a correspondent of Izvestia from the courtroom.

The defendant's lawyer, Maria Kazantseva, asked the court to postpone consideration of the issue of extending the preventive measure due to the fact that Kokunov underwent a medical examination in mid-March, and it is necessary to demand a medical report from the pre-trial detention center. The human rights defender also noted that his rights are being violated, as the list of diseases he has prevents him from being detained. The court refused to grant the petition.

According to investigators, Kokunov, using his authority in the criminal world and threatening violence, involved Dmitry Goldberg in a criminal conspiracy. The group demanded money from Sergey Ksenofontov, General Director of PJSC First Moscow Watch Factory, threatening to kill him and his family if he refused. Ksenofontov, fearing for his life, agreed, but in May 2016 he turned to law enforcement agencies. According to the defense, the victim never directly accused Kokunov.

Ksenofontov is currently abroad. Vasya Bandit pleaded not guilty.

On September 16, 2025, the Moscow Regional Court found Vasya Bandit guilty of occupying the highest position in the criminal hierarchy and sentenced him to eight years and two months in a special regime penal colony with a fine of 1 million rubles. Later, on February 2, a correspondent for Izvestia told about the termination by the Preobrazhensky District Court of Moscow of proceedings to consider an application for release from punishment due to illness against Vasya Bandit.

The investigation was completed at the end of April 2021, and the court subsequently placed Kokunov under house arrest. In February 2022, the day before the new meeting, he took off his bracelet and ran away. In 2023, Vasya Bandit was put on the international wanted list, and later he was detained at a checkpoint between Albania and Montenegro on an Interpol warrant. In the fall of 2024, Kokunov was extradited to Russia.

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