From convicted corrupt official to soldier: Russian customs general eliminated in Ukraine

After being sentenced for corruption, he joined the Russian army, becoming part of the Storm assault unit, a military formation comprised of convicts. Information about the general's death was confirmed to V1.RU (Volgograd) by his wife and former colleague Anton Shchepetnov.

Ildar Saidov was appointed head of Astrakhan Customs in the summer of 2017. In addition to the Astrakhan region, the state body was also responsible for Volgograd region and the Republic of Kalmykia.

“He graduated from the Odesa Higher Artillery Command School named after Frunze and the Russian Customs Academy,” states the Astrakhan customs website. “He served in the Russian Armed Forces. From 1995, he worked in customs authorities, holding various positions at the Tatarstan Customs until September 2010. From November 2011 to September 2014, he headed the customs post at Sea Port Kavkaz under the Krasnodar Customs. Between September 2014 and February 2015, he was the first deputy head of Krasnodar Customs. Since February 2015, he served as the First Deputy Head of the Southern Operational Customs, and from January 2017, he has been the acting head of Astrakhan Customs.”

In 2022, the major general was found guilty of smuggling. According to the investigation, Ildar Saidov gave illegal permission to ship abroad a ship arrested as part of an administrative case, and also facilitated the unimpeded clearance of goods for a company in return for a bribe. The court sentenced him to seven years in a strict regime colony and a fine of more than RUB 10,000,000.

According to federal media, citing investigative authorities, in 2020, Saidov received RUB 2.1 million from Zhivanshir Mamedov, a representative of Sun Light-Astrakhan LLC. The bribe was transferred through intermediaries: Maxim Gorbatov, the head of the Astrakhan customs post, and Oleg Galichkin, the first deputy head of the Astrakhan customs office.

Allegedly, acting in the interests of Henrik Hasanov, the owner of the arrested vessel, Saidov allowed the ship to depart from the port of Astrakhan and sail to Iran.

The family was informed of Ildar Saidov's death on September 14, 2024, though the specific circumstances surrounding his death have not been disclosed.

• Storm Z (or simply Storm) performs the function of the liquidated Wagner PMC in the Russian army. It gathers recruited convicts for further participation in "meat assaults."