Russia's "Specnaz" youth club teaches war tactics despite instructor's criminal past
The military-sports club "Specnaz" in Severodvinsk (Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia) conducts training sessions for youth and boasts about them online. Russian media have discovered that one of the instructors has a criminal past, having been convicted of drug trafficking.
"Many people are mistaken and naive, believing that war won't affect them. Now it is obvious that war, and a large one at that, with the entire NATO bloc, is inevitable. You can continue watching this mind-numbing television and believe its nonsense, or you can study military affairs and prepare yourself," warns the military-sports club "Specnaz" administration from Severodvinsk, praising the lessons for children and youth conducted by Wagnerite Konstantin Khozyaykin.
The media discovered that a man with the same first and last name was sentenced in 2019 to seven years in prison for drug trafficking and in November 2024, to ten months of forced labor for stealing a television and an electric kettle.
The club denies the media's findings
That's not all. In 2020, Khozyaykin sued the authorities of Severodvinsk, seeking 2 million rubles in compensation for the lack of social support after leaving the orphanage. He claimed that due to the lack of assistance, he was forced to lead an antisocial lifestyle, which led to his imprisonment. His lawsuit was dismissed.
Valentin Tabachny, the manager of the "Specnaz" club, told one of the outlets that he is unaware of Khozyaykin's criminal past. "According to our information, none of our instructors or trainees have convictions. Everyone working with children must provide a certificate of no criminal record," said Tabachny, adding that he doesn't intend to check Khozyaykin's past because he has known him for years.
