Yana Legkodimova's Killers Transferred to High-Security Prison for Life
Convicted Murderers of Yana Legkodimova Transferred to Life-Imprisonment Facility
Altynbek Katimov and Rizuan Khairzhanov, sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Yana Legkodimova, have been transferred from a pretrial detention center in Atyrau to a high-security penal colony for lifers, Liter.kz reports, citing Ak Zhaik.
According to a source, the transfer took place on the morning of April 19.
"Under standard procedure, inmates are notified of their transfer just one hour in advance. They were transported in a special railcar along with other prisoners," the source said.
Photo: Ak Zhaik
The exact date of the transfer had previously been undisclosed. Despite their convictions, the two had spent several months in pretrial detention. Galina Legkodimova, the victim's mother, had appealed to the Committee for the Criminal Executive System, demanding clarification on when the convicts would be sent to serve their sentences.
Earlier, the Atyrau regional branch of the criminal executive system had stated that a special National Guard detachment would be assigned for the transfer, to be carried out in accordance with legal procedures.
Sources now confirm that the convicts have been sent to a facility for those serving life sentences.
Galina Legkodimova, the mother of the murdered Yana, had previously filed an official inquiry with the Committee for the Criminal Executive System, seeking answers on when the convicted men would be transferred to their place of imprisonment.
Recall that this high-profile crime occurred in October 2024 in Atyrau, where two young men killed Legkodimova and disposed of her body and phone in a river.
Eight months later, on June 20, 2025, human remains were discovered on the bank of the Ural River. Forensic examination confirmed they belonged to Yana. Her mother buried her in West Kazakhstan Region.
The court found Rizuan Khairzhanov and Altynbek Katimov guilty and sentenced them to life in prison.
How Police Solved Yana Legkodimova's Murder Without a Body—the victim's mother appealed to the court and the public.
The transfer of the convicts in the Legkodimova case involves the National Guard.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
