Russian Army Trainer Jailed 8 Years After Molesting Male Cadet

A 57-year-old Russian military school instructor is sentenced to eight years in prison after a court found him guilty of molesting a 16-year-old cadet.

Court verdicts say Vladimir Shchekotov, an instructor at the Yekaterinburg Suvorov Military School, invited a minor cadet to sauna at his countryside house (known as a “dacha” in Russian) and sexually assaulted him, Russian independent outlet Astra reported on Jan. 25.

The Chkalovsky District Court in Yekaterinburg convicted Shchekotov despite his not-guilty plea. In addition to the eight-year sentence, the court ordered him to pay the victim 200,000 rubles ($2,663) in compensation for “moral damages,” and imposed a further 18 months of “restricted freedom” after he completes his prison term.

“The court found that the teacher invited the minor student to his dacha for a sauna, where he committed sexual acts against him. The defendant did not admit guilt,” the court said in a statement.

“However, based on the totality of the evidence presented in the case, the court returned a guilty verdict,” it added.

Astra reported Shchekotov’s arrest in August 2025. Citing a graduate from the same school at the time, the outlet said the victim was a 16-year-old cadet invited to Shchekotov’s dacha on July 29, where the two “[engaged] in sexual relations.”

The court found Shchekotov guilty based on Clause “a” of Part 3 of the Russian Criminal Code’s Article 132 – which essentially means the rape of a minor, a crime that carries a minimum prison term of 8 years and maximum of 15 years if convicted.

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