31-year-old Russian duped a 17-year-old Belarusian. The terrible end to the story: prison for drugs, death of a child, "SMO" and stolen funeral money

It all began in 2021 when Margarita K. (then a 17-year-old girl) from Belarus was messaged online by 31-year-old Zurab Katinov, a native of Kabardino-Balkaria. After six months of online relationship, the young couple moved in together.

Zurab graduated from Pyatigorsk State Linguistic University in 2012. In 2017, the man officially worked at the Russian "Pochta Bank," was a bartender for some time, and before his arrest, posted a resume online looking for work as an English teacher.

At the time of his detention and cohabitation with the underage Belarusian, he was no longer employed anywhere and had no legal sources of income. Katinov participated in rap battles, wrote poems, and published photos from parties and concerts.

Павялічыць

On December 29, 2021, riot police stormed their Moscow apartment. Katinov was arrested for attempted drug trafficking on a large scale. In June 2022, he was sentenced to 8 years in a strict-regime penal colony.

Павялічыць

Despite the harsh article and the large age difference, Margarita did not abandon her beloved. She agreed to marry him right in prison. From prison, Katinov wrote her love poems, which someone published on his VKontakte page.

Павялічыць

During one of their visits in 2024, Margarita became pregnant with Zurab's child. But even while behind bars, the husband started a relationship on the side and somehow managed to betray his wife.

Family life finally crumbled with Katinov's deployment to the front. This seemingly happened in June 2024 — at which point publications on his VKontakte page reappeared.

Павялічыць

He was drafted into an assault company — according to his wife's social media posts, without his voluntary consent and precisely when she was carrying their child. Zurab received the call sign "Shaitan" and was assigned to the 5th squad of the 2nd assault company of the 1st Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.

On September 17, 2024, he officially went missing in action. As it later turned out, almost his entire squad ceased to exist in that battle. Against the backdrop of these news, Margarita had premature labor in her seventh month, right around New Year's. The weak infant did not live long.

Павялічыць

Relations with her husband's relatives, who should have been a support during this dark time, turned into a cynical story about who would get the funeral money. After the loss of her child, the girl still communicated with them. However, she was soon diagnosed with oncology.

While the daughter-in-law fought cancer in Belarusian clinics for over a year, Katinov's relatives began to badger the military enlistment office in Kabardino-Balkaria to quickly declare the missing soldier deceased.

As soon as the official status was obtained, and the funeral payments were in their accounts, the relatives abandoned the girl in complete uncertainty. They changed phone numbers, deleted themselves from social networks, and moved to an unknown location. When Margarita tried to call them or find any information, neighbors at their registered address reported that no one had lived there for a long time.

Павялічыць

Only in July 2026, after achieving remission, the 22-year-old Belarusian managed to travel to the Caucasus to find out the truth. At the military enlistment office, she was informed that the funeral had long taken place, the documents were sent to the archive, and Katinov himself lies in an unmarked grave. No DNA tests were conducted.

The widow believes the funeral was a sham with an empty coffin for the sake of quickly receiving payments. Thus, Margarita was left alone, without a husband and without anything.

• 5
• 2
• 13
• 15
• 3
• 6
• 5
• 0