Russian official receives suspended sentence for axe attack on partner
The Odintsovo court has issued a verdict in the case against former Minister of Trade of Moscow Region and prominent businessman Mikhail Khubutiya for a brutal attack on his former girlfriend, entrepreneur Yulia Van. Despite the severity of the crime—an axe attack that caused a hand fracture and multiple injuries—the ex-official received only a one-year suspended sentence.
This was reported by Russian media citing the court decision.
The lenient sentence was made possible by the victim’s own position, as she stated in court that she did not object to a minimal punishment, calling it “an act of mercy.”
The incident occurred at the end of April 2025, when Khubutiya broke into Van’s house. According to the victim, after a brief conversation, he began striking her legs with an axe while shouting that he intended to kill her. The woman had to pretend to be dead for the attacker to stop and leave the scene. Initially, the businessman denied guilt, calling the accusations absurd, but later filed a confession under the article for causing moderate bodily harm.
The couple had been in a relationship from 2018 to 2024, but, as Van stated in public interviews, the breakup occurred due to regular threats from Khubutiya to take her child and property.
Khubutiya headed the Ministry of Trade of the Moscow Region in the early 2000s. He is the founder of the Kolchugaretail chain and co-owner of Gostiny Dvor, and has been implicated in investigations regarding the circumvention of sanctions when importing Italian weapons into Russia. In addition to causing injuries, he faced charges for attempted murder, which he did not admit to.
The verdict sparked lively discussion in the legal community, as the combination of the attacker’s status and the use of an axe as a weapon typically carries a real prison sentence. Yulia Van has expressed hope that Khubutiya has sincerely repented, but many view the suspended sentence as a sign of systemic leniency toward former high-ranking officials.
