The Justice system extended the preventive detention of Konstantin Rudnev, accused of alleged human trafficking in San Carlos de Bariloche, until April 2026, while the investigation continues. The decision, accessed by the Argentine News Agency, was made in recent hours after two hearings were held on Friday concerning the expiration of Rudnev's preventive detention and his health status. During the day, it was ruled that it be extended until April 3 of next year, with the argument that the case is complex and the investigation to determine responsibilities is still ongoing. The prosecution maintains that it has until March 2026 to present the final charge. The defense, however, asserts that there is no progress and that the situation has become irregular and detrimental to the accused. In this context, defense attorney Carlos Broitman stated that on Friday, 'two key hearings' were held: one for the extension of preventive detention and another for mitigation for health reasons. According to the lawyer, they requested that Rudnev be transferred to the City of Buenos Aires to undergo medical studies that 'are already ordered by the Santa Teresita Hospital of Rawson Hospital' and that have not been carried out. 'Judge Zapata denied the medical studies and ordered an extension of the preventive detention until April 3, 2026,' questioned Broitman. For Broitman, the decision means disregarding urgent clinical reports.
He also pointed out that the prosecution 'again hides behind the complexity of the case' without presenting new evidence. The defense insisted that 'Rudnev's health condition is deteriorating day by day,' while adding that the judicial authorities downplay serious clinical signs because 'as they see him walk, they think he is fine.' Broitman detailed that since August, an upper and lower endoscopy has been pending, essential to rule out polyps that could become malignant. He also denounced the lack of studies to evaluate 'pulmonary nodules, respiratory capacity, and episodes of extreme exhaustion.' 'They have before them a person who appears to be well-cared for, but they are letting him deteriorate,' he warned.
Despite this formal recommendation, the judge rejected the transfer. To the health debate, another relevant twist is now added: the alleged victim of the case, Elena Makarova, filed a criminal complaint against the prosecutors and stated that she was never a victim of Rudnev or any Russian citizen. The young woman, who had been identified as the center of the file, accused the officials of 'turning her into a victim through abusive and illegal practices.' In her writing, she maintained that the Public Ministry 'installed a trafficking narrative that never existed' and ignored what she said in Cámara Gesell. 'It was they who turned me into a victim, not my compatriots,' she wrote. The complaint also denounces obstetric violence, deprivation of liberty, and medical decisions without consent. Makarova assures that she traveled to Argentina to protect herself from a violent ex-partner and that the staff at the Hospital de Bariloche subjected her to invasive procedures without authorization. She pointed against nurse Jessie Cortés Alvarado and doctor Emiliano Bringas for 'invasive and dehumanizing' practices, which, she claimed, the prosecution approved without investigating. The young woman maintains that they took her phone and documents, separated her from her companions, and transferred her to a shelter where she was left without communication. 'I asked them to return my documents and let me return to my country. They did not listen to me,' she said. Her presentation included requests for evidence and a formal recusal against the prosecutors in the case. Broitman emphasized that Makarova's statement is decisive because it dismantles the central hypothesis of the case. 'An indictment cannot be sustained when the only victim says she is not,' he stated. He also recalled that the Gendarmería Nacional's expert reports ruled out drugs in the kidnappings and that several defendants did not even know each other. For the defense, the process 'is based on conjectures, not on evidence.' He also questioned the use of 'incorrect' international information, such as the supposed arrest request for Montenegro, which Interpol formally denied.
'A case was built without material evidence,' remarked the lawyer.
