The investigation's version of the embezzlement of funds for participants in the special military operation has caused confusion among the Muslims of Taganrog.

Members of the Muslim community in Taganrog doubt that one of the leaders of the local Muslims, Alipasha Abdulgalimov, is involved in the embezzlement of humanitarian aid for fighters participating in the special military operation. According to them, he has done a lot for the city and the Muslims while working in the construction business. The number of Muslims in the city is increasing every year, but there is a shortage of mosques.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the Military Investigative Department for the Rostov garrison initiated a criminal case against an organized group on suspicion of illegal turnover of payment funds (Article 187 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). One of the figures in the case is the leader of the Dagestani community in Taganrog. According to the investigation, humanitarian aid for the fighters of the special military operation was processed through documents amounting to over 250 million rubles. However, in reality, the money was not transferred to the military personnel in the special operation zone.

Members of the Muslim community doubted the investigation's version

A representative of the Muslim community in Taganrog Jamal told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" that he personally participated in purchasing necessary items for the front-line fighters.

"I don't know how much money was raised and what it was spent on, but I personally volunteered when it was necessary to pack items for the fighters into boxes and load them into the car. There were wet wipes, toothpaste and brushes, all necessary for shaving, gas canisters, candles, and much more," he said.

According to him, he also constantly donated money for the needs of the fighters at the front.

"There was and is no doubt that everything was going to the front. Yes, we saw the news, many rumors are circulating, but I don't want to believe it. The community is all surprised, but I can't say that they believe what is said in the news," he noted.

He has done a lot not only for the local Muslims but also for the city

Abdulgalimov Alipasha was engaged in the construction business in the region and was a respected person, another member of the local Muslim community Arslan said.

"He has been in construction for many years. Many knew and respected him as a businessman. He has done a lot not only for the local Muslims but also for the city. What is happening now is clearly some kind of mistake," he told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."

According to him, after the searches, the community continues to live its normal life.

"They were arrested, they are in pre-trial detention. An unpleasant story, but the community continues to live. Yesterday we had a meeting, just discussing and sharing opinions about this. Everyone is sure that this is a misunderstanding," he noted.

Muslims of Taganrog face a lack of infrastructure for believers

A local historian, who wished to remain unnamed, said that the number of Muslims in the city is increasing every year, but there is no infrastructure for religious life.

"The number of Muslims in Taganrog has changed dramatically. In the mid-19th century, there were only 56 Muslims living here, and by 1900 their number had grown to 458. Nevertheless, even with such a small number of believers, the community managed to buy an extension on Bank Square and convert it into a prayer house. During the Soviet years, the building lost its religious function, and in 1969 it was reconstructed beyond recognition and became residential," the researcher told "Caucasian Knot."

He emphasized the current statistics on the number of Muslims in the city and the situation with infrastructure for believers.

There is still no full-fledged cathedral mosque in Taganrog. The main place for gatherings and prayers for the thousands-strong community has long been just one functioning mosque-prayer house

"Today, demographic dynamics show a completely different level of the presence of Islam in the region. If at the beginning of the last century, Muslims numbered in the hundreds, currently, according to official data, about 25-30 thousand Muslims live in Taganrog. According to my observations, with a total population of about 240-250 thousand people, Muslims already make up more than 10-12% of the city's residents. At the same time, there is still no full-fledged cathedral mosque in Taganrog. The main place for gatherings and prayers for the thousands-strong community has long been just one functioning mosque-prayer house on Orekhovaya Street. In addition, there are separate prayer rooms organized by ethnic communities and entrepreneurs in the city. The obvious lack of spacious spiritual centers with such population growth leads to the fact that during Friday prayers and holidays, the only prayer room and the adjacent area become overcrowded," the historian concluded.

Lawyers debated the qualification of the charges

Lawyer Patimat Abdulaeva believes that the application of Article 187 is incorrect.

"In my opinion, the qualification under part 2 of Article 187 is not entirely correct. To initiate a case, statements from victims are needed, and the damage must be specified. I don't think they exist. The disposition of this Article 187 is illegal turnover. This means that there must be some regulatory act that the person violated. That is, theoretically, the way of presenting the norm is called blanket, that is, referential. There should be a reference to which law, which article he violated. This point is also interesting, but it is absent," she told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."

Recently, according to her, this article has been applied more frequently.

"I have started encountering this article more often. It is being shoved where it is needed and where it is not. A lot of young people are currently being attracted precisely under this article. I have a few cases there. Those who came in time, for example, before the criminal case was initiated, were only called for explanations, and we provided consultation, suggested how to properly structure things, but could not initiate cases. However, there are a couple of cases where, with the involvement of appointed lawyers, people's testimonies were adjusted in such a way that, in general, nothing can be done anymore," she noted.

Lawyer Nikita Taranishchenko, on the contrary, notes that the investigation's qualification corresponds to the official version of what happened.

"The investigation understands illegal turnover of payment funds as so-called intellectual forgery, when real documents are sent through the electronic payment system, but with a knowingly false purpose of payment - for example, under the guise of charity for the needs of the special military operation without the actual transfer of money. Part 2 of this article is applied due to the qualifying feature of 'committed by an organized group,' which falls into the category of serious crimes and entails up to seven years of imprisonment. The imposition of Article 187 is also beneficial for the investigation because it is formally not considered purely economic, which means it allows the court to easily send the accused to pre-trial detention," he told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot."

He also explained which additional articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation are traditionally imposed when investigating schemes with fictitious donations.

"In parallel, in such cases, the investigation usually imposes Article 199 of the Criminal Code for tax evasion by artificially inflating expenses. If the version about collecting funds from the parishioners of the prayer house under the guise of humanitarian aid with their subsequent appropriation is confirmed, the actions of the figures will be additionally qualified as fraud under Article 159 of the Criminal Code. In addition, if there are facts of cashing out or laundering the 250 million rubles, law enforcement agencies usually invoke Articles 172 and 174.1 of the Criminal Code, which regulate liability for illegal banking activities and money laundering," he pointed out.