Two Belarusians stole from Russian stores and sold the loot near gas stations. They took pork, coffee, and even Twix
After their arrest, the Belarusians were released and quickly left Russia, asking to be convicted in absentia.
Illustrative photo
The Mozhaisk City Court of the Moscow Region in absentia found two Belarusians, Aliaksandr Kudzielich and Maksim Tatarinovich, guilty of theft from the Pyaterochka chain stores and sentenced each to a fine of approximately $420. The verdict was handed down on February 26, 2026. The verdict
According to the case materials, the men came to the Moscow Region to earn money, but then, as stated in the document, "went traveling" around the region. When their money started to run out, they decided to steal food from chain stores — both for their own consumption and for resale.
The first time, the partners filled a bag and a backpack: nine packs of Nescafe Gold coffee, two Twix bars, pâté, "Snow" brand stewed meat (produced, by the way, in Belarus), beer, and sliced Italian salami. They assigned roles in advance: one would take the items and put them in the bag, the other would carry the bag.
The second time was purely commercial. In another Pyaterochka store, they only took coffee — 16 packs of Nescafe Gold, four kilogram bags of EGOISTE NOIR whole bean coffee, and five packs of Arabica instant coffee. They admitted they then sold the stolen goods to various people at gas stations. In total, on two occasions, the Belarusians stole goods worth approximately 30,000 Russian rubles (about €330).
Neither Kudzielich nor Tatarinovich appeared in court: according to court records, both are already outside of Russia. They requested that the case be heard without them, fully admitted their guilt, and expressed remorse.
The court sentenced each to a fine of 30,000 Russian rubles (about €330) — making the total fine twice the value of the stolen goods. The only question is whether the Russian treasury will ever see this money, considering that both convicted individuals are no longer in Russia.