The management of the Astrakhan ECOshelter was convicted of the death of 300 dogs and the theft of funds for their care and vaccination.

Court in Astrakhan issued a verdict in a criminal case of fraud in the execution of contracts for animal vaccination in the amount of 64,5 million rubles.

The actual head of the shelter Andrey NevlyudoThe director of the organization was sentenced to 9 years in prison Valery Kushchenko — by 5,6 years, and the chief veterinarian Valentina Koznova — to 4 years in a general regime penal colony. The defendants in the case accused of fraud on an especially large scale, “money laundering obtained through fraud, and cruelty to animals.”

The court found that the shelter's management failed to fulfill the terms of the state contract for trapping, vaccinating, and sterilizing animals, and also cut corners on their upkeep by depriving them of adequate food, water, and veterinary care. As a result, more than 300 dogs died at the shelter between August 2021 and December 2022.

Nevlyudov was detained in February 2023 on suspicion of fraud. A year earlier, an outbreak of rabies and distemper was recorded at the shelter, leading to a quarantine in the region. At the same time, a burial ground near Astrakhan found 60 mutilated dog corpses with Ecoshelter tags. The governor intervened, and inspections were conducted at the shelter.

At the end of February, a group of deputies headed by Nina Ostanina introduced a bill to the State Duma allowing the euthanasia of stray dogs. Since then, people across the country come out at the protest, they organize gatherings signatures and are recording video messages. Adults and childrenAnd the day before, the State Duma proposed legislation ban feed dogs and cats.

In the photo: Andrey Nevlyudov, head of Ecoshelter