Moscow court moves former DNR construction official to house arrest

A Moscow court has replaced pretrial detention with house arrest for Yulia Mervayezova, a former first deputy construction minister in the DNR, RIA Novosti reported on October 10, citing court documents.

The documents show that her detention was extended in July before the court changed the measure in October. The agency did not give the precise date of the latest ruling.

Mervayezova faces an allegation of particularly large-scale fraud committed by a group acting in prior agreement. RIA cited investigators as estimating losses above 4 billion rubles on contracts worth more than 9 billion rubles. These are prosecution figures, rather than findings established by a conviction.

The case initially opened in summer 2023 against her predecessor, Denis Chubarov. RIA identified other defendants as former senator Alexander Avanesov, who is wanted by authorities, former military construction director Vadim Vygulyarny and former GUOV head Yevgeny Gorbachev.

Russia's Defence Ministry and several organisations have been recognised as injured parties. The change in the preventive measure concerns where the defendant stays during the proceedings and does not itself determine guilt.