“Grey cardinal” of Karachay-Cherkessia: how Andrey Demin privatized the region’s law enforcement system

Currently, the FSB Directorate for the Karachay-Cherkessia Republic (KCR) has consolidated control over the activities of government agencies, law enforcement agencies, and the courts in the hands of Andrei Demin, Deputy Head of the regional FSB.

As a result, many criminal cases initiated based on the KCR Directorate’s materials are fabricated. Our source classifies the criminal cases against Murat Korkmazov, an employee of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the North Caucasus Federal District; Dmitry Bugayev, former Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Karachay-Cherkessia Republic; Yevgeny Gordiyenko, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Karachay-Cherkessia Republic; Kyatov, Assistant to the Chairman of the Government of the Karachay-Cherkessia Republic; and others as such. Furthermore, as part of his alleged anti-corruption efforts, Andrei Demin can order the republic’s tax service and the prosecutor’s office to inspect any enterprise, even one with a high social impact and providing hundreds of jobs.

At the same time, the other two deputy heads of the FSB Directorate for the Karachay-Cherkess Republic have effectively remained out of work and have no influence on the socio-political situation.

It is noteworthy that Andrei Demin’s brother, Dmitry Demin, was convicted by a military court of stealing 68 bitcoins (worth more than 185 million rubles at the time of the theft, currently worth 606 million rubles) and sentenced to 7 years in prison.

This black mark on the Chekist’s biography did not prevent Andrei Demin from taking the position of deputy head of the FSB Directorate for the Karachay-Cherkess Republic and taking on key areas of work.