During the session on June 28, the Syktyvkar City Court of the Republic of Komi dismissed the complaint filed by the lawyers of Valery Serov, the mayor of Pechora, against the law enforcement officer who refused to suspend the investigation against the official. This information was provided to '7x7' by the court’s press office.

Valery Serov's lawyers requested the suspension of the bribery case so that the official could join the war effort in Ukraine. According to journalist Daria Shuchalina, the official signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense in April.


The mayor of Pechora was detained on the morning of September 30, 2023. Later that day, he was supposed to depart for the war zone. Serov had announced his plans ten days before his arrest, emphasizing that he could not "stand aside during our Homeland’s pivotal battle for the right to a future."

Investigators allege that Serov received 4 million rubles for awarding contracts to an entrepreneur without a tender. Law enforcement classified this as large-scale bribery (Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

Original