A gang linked to the South Ossetian president’s brother has struck again, the victim claims

Crime in South Ossetia

South Ossetian citizen Viktor Margiev says members of an organised crime group kidnapped and tortured his brother Alan, demanding he hand over a car worth 6 million roubles (about $71,000).

What would normally be a straightforward crime story takes on political weight because the gang in question is made up of friends of Alik Gagloev, the brother of South Ossetia’s president.

And this is far from an isolated case. In fact, nearly all major crimes in South Ossetia in recent years have been linked to this group, whose existence is acknowledged by both the prosecutor’s office and the interior ministry.

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“It’s time to put an end to this”

“My brother Alan Margiev was kidnapped near his home by a gang led by Khokh Gabaraev. He was taken to a forest and tortured. His body is covered in wounds and bruises.

Everyone knows this gang, led by Gabaraev, is terrorising people in South Ossetia. Many entrepreneurs have shut down their businesses because of them. I urge all citizens who have suffered at their hands not to be afraid and to turn to law enforcement,” Viktor Margiev wrote on Facebook.

He said “it’s time to put an end to this gang,” which repeatedly escapes punishment for its brutal crimes.

A source in Tskhinval told JAMnews that one gang member, known by the nickname “Tate,” has been detained. His real name is Ruslan Tskhovrebov. He was extradited from Russia to South Ossetia in 2023 for a murder committed in Tskhinval back in 2001. But he faced no punishment after extradition, reportedly because he had joined the gang “protected” by the president’s brother.

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Prosecutor’s account

South Ossetia’s prosecutor general’s office confirmed that a criminal case has been opened on charges of “kidnapping by a group with prior collusion, using weapons and violence for personal gain,” as well as “extortion by a group with prior collusion, using violence to obtain property on a particularly large scale.”

According to investigators, on 6 September 2025 the attackers, having arranged to meet the victim, drove up to his home and after a brief conversation persuaded him to go with them.

“The victim was taken to the northern outskirts of Tskhinvali. For about three hours he was subjected to physical violence, during which the attackers demanded he hand over property of particularly high value,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The criminals eventually forced Alan Margiev to give them the keys to his luxury car before dropping him back at his home. But Margiev, not waiting for the self-proclaimed owners to seize the vehicle, rushed to the parking lot, smashed a window to get inside, and damaged the system so the car could not be started.

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Crime in South Ossetia

A familiar pattern

Although law enforcement acknowledges the crime in vivid detail, the leader of the gang, Khokh Gabaraev, has not been detained. Many believe this is due to pressure from the president.

Residents of South Ossetia point out that since Alan Gagloev took office, the same gang has carried out a series of high-profile crimes. Members would then reportedly “turn themselves in,” police would announce their detention – only for them to be released almost immediately.

In 2022, for example, Gabaraev was involved in the kidnapping and torture of local businessman Vladislav Valiev. He was found guilty but received only a seven-year suspended sentence.

Two years later, in 2024, while supposedly serving that suspended term, Gabaraev and his associates opened fire on two brothers, the Kabisovs.

And in 2025, Gabaraev and his men attacked the head of the customs committee, Aleksandr Chochiev – again without facing consequences.

It is important to note that Tskhinval is a very small town where everyone knows each other. When a gang attack takes place, there is no mystery about who carried it out. The perpetrators don’t even need to be identified – only arrested and punished. The fact that this never happens fuels growing public outrage with each new incident.

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Crime in South Ossetia