Russian man arrested after killing two Sochi bailiffs following a court order to demolish his illegally constructed buildings

A Russian man who shot and killed two bailiffs who came to demolish property in Sochi on Wednesday has handed himself in to the police, claiming he was protecting the land he inherited from his parents from the authorities.

However, in an odd twist, Vartan Kochyan did not attempt to flee the scene but was instead filmed by an eyewitness giving a calm, explanatory speech immediately after taking the lives of 35-year-old Albert Agozyan and his 36-year-old colleague Andronik Mativosyan, from the country’s Federal Bailiffs Service.

The two deceased public servants, along with a third who survived, came to demolish structures determined by a court to be illegally erected. According to the local authorities, the buildings are single-story housing. In the late 2010s, a cafe neighboring Kochyan’s land caught fire due to faulty electrical wiring, killing 11 – including seven in a nearby three-story building. This structure was also built without official permission and the incident led to the owners getting time behind bars. Ostensibly to avoid any future incidents, the local government decided to demolish all similar dangerous buildings.

“I’ve lived here since I was four years old. [The authorities] drove me crazy – they wouldn't let me register the land, said it was impossible,” Kochyan said in the video filmed after the shooting, in the video taken by the eyewitness, “This is not for sale – I am not for sale. This is mine. My parents’ land, my children'’s land, and mine. I am 61 years old, and I do not regret what I did.”

The killer said he tried to fight for the right to the property and find a solution in court, but it was all to no avail.

According to reports, Kochyan waited with a shotgun by the buildings overnight, expecting to meet the bailiffs. When they arrived, he opened fire.

“The public servants suffered gunshot wounds and died on the spot,” the Investigative Committee said. “The third victim was given medical assistance. His life is not in danger.”

Reports later emerged that the man possessed his weapon illegally.

The incident took place in Adler, an area of Sochi in the south of Russia. In 2014, the city hosted the Winter Olympics and is now the site of various sporting events, such as the Russian F1 Grand Prix, as well as being the country’s most prestigious and popular tourist destination.

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