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Judge in Aliyya Galitskaya's Case Resigns After Her Suicide

Judge Fyodor Grigoryev of the Istrinsky City Court, who ordered the arrest of Aliyya, the ex-wife of former Alfa-Bank board member Alexander Galitsky, has resigned. This was reported by Yevgenia Mercacheva, a member of Putin's Human Rights Council. The chairman of the Istrinsky City Court, Irina Putynets, also resigned, according to sources from TASS and RIA Novosti. They stated that the chairman of the Supreme Court, Igor Krasnov, insisted on their resignation, being "outraged" by the arrest of Aliyya Galitskaya, after which she committed suicide. Neither Mercacheva nor the agencies named the resigning judges, but they are listed on the court's website and in its records. Furthermore, on February 18, the Moscow Regional Court overturned the Istrinsky City Court's decision to arrest Galitskaya, citing a lack of proper justification for the detention order, Mercacheva noted. Against this backdrop, Krasnov urged judges to carefully consider pre-trial detention measures in cases of low public danger, particularly in "entrepreneurial cases," as reported by RAPSI. He recalled the Supreme Court's clarifications and recommendations on this matter, which clearly guide courts towards a broader application of house arrest and escalation to stricter measures only if violated. Krasnov also called on judges to pay attention to instances where arrest extension decisions are "formally rubber-stamped" if the investigation's arguments remain unchanged for extended periods. Aliyya Galitskaya committed suicide in a detention center cell in Istra, Moscow region, on February 7, the day after the court ordered her arrest. According to Mercacheva, the woman left a suicide note blaming her ex-husband. Galitskaya was arrested in a case involving the extortion of $150 million from her ex-husband. The investigation claims she demanded money by threatening to release compromising information. Aliya and Alexander Galitsky divorced in March 2025. They have two daughters together, both holding Russian and US citizenship. In October of the same year, a Moscow court froze Galitsky's assets worth 435 million rubles as part of a lawsuit for the division of jointly acquired property with his ex-wife. Alexander Galitsky is a venture investor, founder of the Almaz Capital Partners fund, and former member of the Alfa-Bank board of directors. He is not related to businessman Sergey Galitsky, co-owner of Magnit and president of the Krasnodar football club; the surname similarity is coincidental.

Judge in Alia Galitskaya's case claims decision on her arrest was dictated from above, a common practice

Istrinsky City Court Judge Fedor Grigoriev told REN TV that he merely announced the decision to arrest Alia Galitskaya, who subsequently committed suicide in a temporary detention center. The publication featuring his comments was removed from the TV channel's website shortly after its release, as noted by "Agentstvo." In the material, Grigoriev stated that the order to detain Galitskaya was effectively made by the chairman of the Moscow Regional Court, Alexey Kharlamov, and the head of the Istrinsky Court, Irina Putynets. According to the judge, he was given the case materials with instructions to impose this pre-trial measure. Grigoriev claims he was forced to sign the document. Later, the telegram channel 112, which is close to law enforcement agencies, cited Grigoriev as saying that decisions in the courts of the Moscow region are often made under pressure from management, with responsibility falling on the specific judge. A source for "Agentstvo" confirmed the authenticity of Grigoriev's words and stated that ready-made decisions are regularly handed down to judges. According to the source, Grigoriev had previously faced disciplinary action after refusing to approve an arrest in another case. Refusing to authorize Galitskaya's arrest could have led to further punishment. Alia Galitskaya, the ex-wife of venture capitalist Alexander Galitsky, committed suicide in an isolation cell in Istra, Moscow region, on February 7 – shortly after the court decided to arrest her in a case involving the extortion of $150 million from her ex-husband. TASS reported that the story of Galitskaya's arrest "outraged" the head of the Supreme Court, Igor Krasnov, who insisted on the resignation of judges Fedor Grigoriev and Irina Putynets. Later, Krasnov urged judges to carefully consider pre-trial measures in cases with low public danger, particularly in "entrepreneurial articles."