Gafurov Ilshat Rafkatovich

Biography

2025: Sentence - 22 years in prison for preparing murder

On May 28, 2025, the Savelovsky Court of Moscow found the former rector of Kazan Federal University (KFU) Ilshat Gafurov guilty of inciting and preparing the murder. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison with serving in a maximum security correctional colony.

According to investigators, Gafurov in 1999 ordered the murder of an entrepreneur from Elabuga, Aydar Israelilov. The businessman, being a deputy of the Yelabuga city council, publicly criticized Gafurov, who at that moment served as head of Yelabuga. Israelilov was shot dead in 1999 in Moscow in a parking lot near the market near the CSKA sports complex.

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Фото: Anton Novoderezhkin/Kommersant

Gafurov denies any involvement in the murder, stating that he had no conflict with Israelilov. According to the former rector of KFU, the criminal authority Airat Shakirov, who, in turn, was killed in 2001, is related to the murder of the entrepreneur. The defense of Gafurov asked to acquit the defendant or stop the criminal prosecution in connection with the expiration of the statute of limitations, not agreeing that his guilt was proven.

However the court found Gafurov guilty of commission of the crimes provided by Part 4 of Article 33, Part 1 of Article 30, the items ", z" of Part 2 of Article 105 (in edition of Federal law Nº 63-F3 of 13.06.1996), Part 4 of Article 33, item l. ", 3" Part 2 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (in edition of Federal law Nº 63-F3 of 13.06.1996). The defendant was sentenced to 8 and 18 years in prison for each of the episodes: after partial addition of punishments, a prison term of 22 years was determined.

In addition, the court partially satisfied the civil claims of the victims totaling 60 million rubles. The court also left under arrest the money seized earlier during the search from Gafurov in the amount of about 4.5 million rubles, more than 70 thousand euros, dollars and pounds sterling. Before the execution of the verdict, Gafurov's bank accounts remained under arrest in part of the civil lawsuit.^[1]

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