‘The purge has only just begun’? South Ossetia’s new authorities arrest ‘chief baker’
The authorities in South Ossetia have placed Vadim Tskhovrebov, the long-serving director of the local bread factory, under house arrest for two months, from 31 October to 29 December. They have opened a criminal case against him on charges of abuse of office.
This is no routine arrest. It forms part of a sweeping purge, one of the key campaign promises made by the new president, Marat Kambolov.
A hotel at the bread factory
According to investigators, Tskhovrebov appropriated a plot of land on the bread factory’s premises, leased it to his wife at a below-market rate and built a hotel, a billiards room and commercial premises there.
Some Telegram channels have also alleged that Tskhovrebov installed cryptocurrency mining equipment on the factory grounds, while the state budget covered the huge electricity bills.
In addition, unofficial reports suggest that the company owes millions in unpaid taxes, which may simply have been written off.
Alina Chochieva, deputy prosecutor of Tskhinval, explained that the General Prosecutor’s Office had requested Tskhovrebov’s house arrest. His defence team tried to persuade the court to impose a travel ban instead, citing a positive reference from his workplace and numerous awards recognising his contribution to the development of South Ossetia.
Tskhovrebov himself fully accepts both the charges against him and the restrictive measure.
“I admit my guilt and am ready to compensate the damage in full as soon as the investigation determines the final amount,” South Ossetia’s “chief baker” said.
An enterprising bun
For many years, Vadim Tskhovrebov, whom Tskhinval residents affectionately nicknamed “Bun”, was actively involved in politics and even served as a member of parliament. But he took the greatest pride in keeping production running during the August 2008 war. The factory never stopped operating, not even for a day, and continued supplying bread to residents of the South Ossetian capital.
“Bun” took over as head of the bread factory around 20 years ago.
Over the years, he survived two assassination attempts and efforts to seize his business. He secured state funding and expanded production, while gradually raising the price of his products.
During Tskhovrebov’s time in his “bread kingdom”, South Ossetia went through five presidential administrations. “Bun” managed to get along with every one of them.
Many people now believe that previous presidents may have turned a blind eye to abuses of office in exchange for certain financial arrangements.
It seems, however, that he failed to strike a deal with Marat Kambolov.
Gaps in the logic
However, some JAMnews sources in Tskhinval question the logic behind the new authorities’ actions.
“How does this make sense? The director of the bread factory has been arrested, while his former boss, Atsamaz Kabisov, has actually been promoted to deputy prime minister in the new government, despite long-standing suspicions that he too abused his office,” one of our sources said.
Atsamaz Kabisov previously headed the Committee for Industry, Transport and Energy, which oversees the bread factory.
Local bloggers report that South Ossetia’s debt to Russia for gas and electricity had already exceeded 1 billion roubles [around $12 million] in 2024 and has not fallen since. One of the main reasons is losses in the power grid, which Russian specialists estimate at 40–50%. Unofficial sources link these losses to illegal cryptocurrency mining operations. Kabisov, who oversees electricity consumption records, may have provided protection for these mining farms.
Has the purge only just begun?
Nevertheless, Tskhovrebov’s arrest fits the purge of corrupt officials and those accused of misappropriating public funds that Marat Kambolov announced. “Bun” is not the first person to face scrutiny. Criminal cases have already been opened against several businessmen from the inner circle of former president Alan Gagloev and former prime minister Konstantin Dzhussoev.
One of them is Oleg Bosikov, a close relative of Dzhussoev and CEO of the construction company Megapolis-T. Investigators allege that the company served as a money-laundering operation through which hundreds of millions of roubles from Russia were siphoned off. The money came under an investment programme for South Ossetia’s socio-economic development.
The General Prosecutor’s Office has also turned its attention to former Interior Minister Erislav Mamiev and his first deputy, Atsamaz Sagkaev. Investigators say Sagkaev illegally registered two service firearms in his superior Mamiev’s name.
The terminology, place names and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of this website
