April 18, 2026

Authorities arrested a former soldier who killed a police officer and wounded three others during an attempted arrest

Security forces detained serviceman Sergey Basalaev, who shot police officers on April 16 during an attempted arrest in the Orenburg region. This was reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Investigative Committee. The man has already been sent to pre-trial detention. He was charged with encroachment on the lives of security forces, murder, and attempted murder. In addition, Basalaev is an accused in a case of unauthorized absence from his unit. Basalaev is 52 years old. In the past, he was involved in small businesses and worked as a driver. He apparently became a serviceman after being detained with drugs, writes "Agentstvo". According to "112", Basalaev was a serviceman of the "LPR" motorized rifle brigade. In February 2025, he was put on the wanted list for "AWOL". On April 16, in the village of Akkermanovka in the Orenburg region, the man killed a police officer and wounded three other security forces who arrived to detain him. After that, Basalaev fled in a truck. Since then, the man has been searched for by, among others, helicopter and armored vehicle crews from Rosgvardia.