From policeman, to inmate, to decorated officer, to accused in murder with public display. Hero of Russia Arkady Dorofeev on trial

The trial of Arkady Gennadyevich Dorofeev has begun at the Southern District Military Court, as Mediazona learned. The case, which was referred to the permanent judicial panel in Donetsk, was initiated under articles concerning “aiding and abetting murder by a group of individuals with public display and abuse of official authority by a group of individuals with the use of violence.” Abuse of authority with the use of violence is a common charge in torture cases.

The defendant’s full name matches exactly that of Hero of Russia, Second Lieutenant Arkady Dorofeev, who was frequently mentioned in state media reports and appeared on pro-war Telegram Z-channels to discuss the war.

Mediazona contacted Arkady Dorofeev’s son, Andrei, who confirmed that his father holds the title of Hero of the Russian Federation and has been in custody “for quite some time.” The trial is being held behind closed doors. Andrei Dorofeev clarified that, in his opinion, the case against his father was initiated “unjustly,” but did not provide further details.

“I’m not ready to tell you right now, given the current situation in Russia,” he added.

Arkady Dorofeev, a 54-year-old resident of Barnaul and a former police officer, joined the Wagner PMC at the start of the war against Ukraine, according to a post on the city’s official website describing a ceremonial meeting between the mercenary and the mayor of Barnaul and the deputy governor of the Altai krai.

State news agency TASS, citing the Ministry of Defence, reported that Dorofeev “helped capture Ukrainian servicemen, thanks to information from whom units of the ‘Center’ military group were able to advance.” Dorofeev himself said he received the title of Hero of Russia for leading the assault. The Telegram channel “Chernye Gusary” (“Black Hussars”) published his New Year’s greeting.

Andrey Dorofeev told Mediazona that in the 2000s, his father served as a police officer. Later, he was convicted of burglary and making death threats. According to a published ruling by the Altai Regional Court, Dorofeev robbed cottages in a suburban community, taking household appliances, dishes, clothing, and food. Once, after breaking into someone’s house with a tire iron, he ran into the owners.

Arkady Dorofeev partially admitted his guilt but denied stealing a microwave, two dresses, two medical gowns, a camouflage suit, two pairs of men’s pants, a men’s T-shirt, children’s thermal underwear, four children’s T-shirts, two towels, a dozen eggs, a can of stewed meat, a can of pâté, two kilograms of beef, six plates, and a welding machine.

Dorofeev was arrested in 2019, and the court sentenced him to 3 years and 8 months in prison. In 2022, he was tried again for theft, but the verdict in the second case has not been made public. According to Mediazona, he enlisted in the Wagner Group from Penal Colony No. 3 in Irkutsk.

His son Andrei assured a Mediazona correspondent that his father did not go to war from the penal colony but “left as a volunteer.” The Peoples.ru website makes no mention of Dorofeev’s criminal record, though one of the sections of his biography is titled “Reforge and Rise.”

Dorofeev’s call sign is Suradevi, the name of the Indian goddess of wine and winemaking.