Leader of Police Gang, Shielded by Kubrakov, Sentenced

• 9.12.2024, 14:33

He planned and participated in the robberies.

The court of Nesvizh District Court sentenced the 27-year-old police officer from the Dokshytsy District Police Department. Mikhail Zhirski, as previously reported, led a balaclava gang that robbed truckers.

According to Nashai Niva, he was sentenced to 8 years in prison for extortion and abuse of power. He faced up to 20 years in prison for these crimes.

Zhirsky's accomplice and his childhood friend Aliaksandr Perepechka were sentenced to the minimum possible 5 years on the same charge.

The arrest of the Balaklava gang became known in May 2024. Attackers robbed truckers' parked trucks while the driver slept in the cab. The head of the gang — Captain Zhirski — served in the criminal investigation department. He planned and participated in the robberies. In Zhirski's apartment, non-duty weapons were found, which appeared in the statements of the victims.

But publicly, the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs then strongly denied the information in independent media. Minister Ivan Kubrakou then made a video statement: they say there was a gang, but no police officer was part of it. Naturally, he kept silent about the fate of Mikhail Zhirski.

As it turned out, the security forces decided to separate the Zhirski case into a separate proceeding — so as not to stain the department. The rest of the raiders had already been convicted. Their sentences were surprisingly mild — home arrest. Of course, they did not write comments on the Internet, but "just" robbed. Only one gang member, a recidivist, was sentenced to 4 years in prison.