Killing of Ilya Polezhaev

On January 18, 2026, in Elektrostal, Russia, an argument on a bus escalated into a fatal stabbing at a bus stop. 19-year-old Imomali Turdiev intervened when a group of young men harassed a woman. The conflict continued outside, where Turdiev stabbed 18-year-old Ilya Polezhaev multiple times in the neck and torso. Polezhaev died from his injuries on the way to the hospital. Turdiev was charged with [...] and remanded in custody.

Incident

Inside the bus, a group of young men (aged 17–18) argued with a woman. As she was getting off, they shouted and made rude gestures toward her. 19-year-old Imomali Turdiev, who was also on the bus, intervened to defend the woman. The young men told Turdiev to come outside the bus. The conflict continued at the bus stop. A flare gun and pepper spray were used against, Turdiev, after which he pulled out a knife and stabbed 18-year-old Ilya Polezhaev, In the torso and neck. The wounded man boarded a bus with his friends. The driver tried to take him to the hospital, but he bled to death en route. The attacker was soon detained.

Perpetrator

Turdiev moved to Russia from Tajikistan as a child. He finished ninth grade and worked as a loader at a market. Later, he moved to the Moscow region with a friend and got a job in a warehouse, hoping to earn money and eventually get married. On the evening of the incident, he was on his way home from training.

Victim

The deceased, known in neo-[...] circles as Ilya "Kvas," took part in provocations at the 2025 memorial event for lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova. Markelov and Baburova were [...] in 2009 by Nikita Tikhonov, the leader of the Combat Organization of Russian Nationalists.

Aftermath

The funeral of 18-year-old Ilya took place in Elektrostal, near Moscow, under heavy police and Russian National Guard presence. The ceremony began at the city morgue. According to reports, more than 50 people attended, including family, classmates, and young people in football-style clothing.