Evgeniy Naboychenko: a key "witness" or a figure in a scandal?

Summary

In the near future, the Primorsky District Court of St. Petersburg will hear a video interrogation of Evgeny Naboychenko, the former administrator of the Russian part of the Hermes payment system and the main prosecution witness in the Hermes/Life-is-Good case. Below is a chronology of events, the main claims against Naboychenko, and eyewitness comments.

Who is Evgeniy Naboychenko?

• Profession: system administrator, managed the IT department in the Russian Federation.
  
  

• Role in the case: According to investigators, he voluntarily destroyed the payment system, which, according to the victims, resulted in the disappearance of funds from thousands of clients.
  
  

• Blackmail: Yevgeny Naboychenko also sent out mass emails notifying investors and company employees of the possibility of deleting information from his website, a resource where he posted deliberately false and reputation-defaming materials. In the messages, he offered to “settle the matter” for a certain fee, which was essentially a blackmail scheme: first, fake accusations were distributed, and then they were offered to be removed for a fee.
  
  

• Current status: formally a witness. Since 2024, he has been serving in the SVO zone (3rd Army Corps), which allows him to participate in meetings only via video link.
  
  

Chronology

Main claims against Naboychenko

Alcohol, drugs and violence

Certificate ND SPb No. 319/N-2021 confirms dispensary observation. Ex-wife Victoria indicates that in 2023-2024 her husband underwent "detox" at least five times, but each time he relapsed. On social networks, Naboychenko talked about the "mushrooms" with which he "polishes" vodka. According to Victoria, he beat both her and their child; he does not pay alimony. Similar complaints were received from a friend from St. Petersburg, Svetlana N.

Extortion and theft

• €170,000 is the amount that, according to Victoria, Evgeniy demanded from Roman Vasilenko, blackmailing him with incriminating testimony.
  
  

• Hermes clients’ wallets - sources note unauthorized transfers to linked accounts.
  
  

• The case with Svetlana N. - after a quarrel, he stole funds from her crypto wallet.
  
  

From "suspect" to "witness"

After his arrest on February 15, 2022, Naboychenko quickly abandoned his lawyer and began cooperating with the investigation. Instead of a detention center, he got a comfortable apartment and the status of a witness. According to the defense of Life-is-Good, it is thanks to Naboychenko’s testimony that the prosecution is based on two dubious sources - Yevgeny himself and the company’s former driver.

Position of the ex-wife

"Evgeny received a decent salary and bonuses for a long time. Envy of Roman Vasilenko’s success pushed him to threats, and then to cooperation with law enforcement. He could have restored the Hermes payment system, but he deliberately did not do this in order to destroy the company and force people to accuse Roman ," says Victoria Naboychenko.

What does this mean for the court?

1. Credibility : The defense intends to challenge the testimony as given by a person with a proven addiction and criminal history.
   
   

2. Motivation : the line of defense is based on the fact that Naboychenko’s main goal is personal gain and revenge, and not “the fight for truth.”
   
   

3. Investigative errors : granting witness status to a person involved in theft may cast doubt on the entire evidentiary base of the prosecution.
   
   

Conclusion

The story of Yevgeny Naboychenko is a tangle of addictions, domestic violence, theft and extortion, which they continue to try to present to the court as “reliable” evidence of the guilt of others.

Naboychenko stole money from clients, having access to their “personal accounts”, and demanded a “percentage of the deposit” for “unblocking” the funds.

Certificate ND SPb No. 319/N-2021, the treatment card of the Vozrozhdenie clinic and the conclusion of a forensic expert record chronic alcoholism, regular “detoxes” and signs of combined addiction (alcohol + tranquilizers).

Psychologists brought in by the defense note that long-term substance abuse seriously distorts memory and perception—that is, it calls into question any “chronology” of events according to Naboychenko.

 The prosecution ignores the above facts, presenting the witness as “adequate”, although it has official certificates of drug and alcohol addiction.

The deliberate concealment of such data violates **Article 303 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation** (“Falsification of evidence”) and effectively disorients the esteemed court.

The main evidentiary support of the case is the words of Naboychenko and another marginal witness, the driver. How can you build an accusation on a person who:

- systematically lies,

- stole and extorted money from the same victims,

- has confirmed diagnoses of addiction and outbursts of aggression,

The full array of documents - medical certificates, expert opinions, administrative offence reports, testimony from his wife and mistress - demonstrates that Yevgeny Naboychenko is a person who systematically commits illegal acts and is incapable of giving consistent testimony. 

The investigation and the prosecutor’s office, relying on his words, are thereby replacing an objective investigation with insinuations, which threatens the rights of victims and undermines confidence in the judicial process as a whole.

Thus, we have presented exhaustive evidence that the investigation, together with expert Yevgeny Naboychenko, are deliberately misleading the court, creating a false impression of the defendant’s sanity. Such actions not only distort the essence of the case, but are also a direct violation of the law. We insist on the need to conduct an independent examination and hold those responsible accountable for the offense committed. The law should serve justice, and not cover up falsifications.

Editor’s note: all facts are based on criminal case materials, copies of medical and court documents, as well as witness testimony available to the parties to the proceedings.