The Murder of Yana Legkodimova
Yana Legkodimova disappeared after leaving home to meet an acquaintance in October 2024. Months later her remains were recovered from the Ural River. Two men were convicted of her murder and sentenced to life imprisonment; the sentences were upheld on appeal in February 2026.
Yana Legkodimova was 23 when she disappeared in Atyrau on October 18, 2024. The investigation eventually centered on Rizuan Khairzhanov, a man with whom she had been in a relationship, and his friend Altynbek Katimov. Deleted messages recovered during the investigation became important evidence in reconstructing planning before the killing and efforts to conceal what had happened.
Disappearance in Atyrau
Yana was last seen alive on October 18, 2024, after leaving home to meet Khairzhanov. When she did not return, her family pushed for answers while investigators worked through witness accounts, phones, movements and other evidence. The case drew sustained public attention in Kazakhstan.
Her body was not immediately found. On June 20, 2025, approximately eight months after her disappearance, remains identified as Yana's were recovered on the bank of the Ural River. The later discovery resolved the question of where her body had been concealed but did not reduce the importance of the digital and circumstantial evidence already developed in the case.
Recovered messages and the prosecution case
Reporting on the trial described deleted correspondence between Khairzhanov and Katimov that investigators recovered. The messages were used to support the prosecution's case that the killing had been discussed in advance rather than occurring spontaneously.
The court found that Khairzhanov and Katimov acted together. Both were convicted under Kazakhstan's homicide provisions for murder committed by a group by prior agreement and for hire, along with an offense involving intentional destruction of property. The exact legal characterization matters: this archive describes the defendants according to the offenses established by the court, not according to rumors or social-media claims surrounding the case.
Trial and life sentences
On November 17, 2025, the Specialized Interdistrict Criminal Court of Atyrau Region announced life sentences for both Khairzhanov and Katimov. The court rejected attempts to shift blame toward Yana and treated the planning reflected in the evidence as a central part of the case.
Both defendants appealed. On February 24, 2026, the Atyrau Regional Court left the first-instance judgment unchanged and rejected the appeals. Contemporary reporting stated that the judgment entered into legal force. In April 2026, Kazakhstan's penitentiary authorities confirmed that the two men had been transferred to the facility where they would serve their life sentences.
Khairzhanov and Katimov are described as convicted because both received life sentences and the appellate court upheld those judgments. This page does not attribute criminal responsibility to relatives, supporters or other people who were discussed publicly but were not convicted in this case.
Timeline
- Yana disappears
Yana leaves home in Atyrau to meet an acquaintance and is last seen alive.
- Investigation develops
Investigators examine digital evidence and recover deleted communications used to reconstruct planning and concealment.
- Remains recovered
Yana's body is found near the Ural River months after her disappearance.
- Life sentences imposed
Rizuan Khairzhanov and Altynbek Katimov are convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
- Appeals rejected
The Atyrau Regional Court leaves the convictions and life sentences unchanged.
- Transfer to prison
Penitentiary authorities confirm that both men have been transferred to serve their sentences.
Sources and further reading
- Orda — November 17, 2025 report on the verdict and life sentences
- Tengrinews — detailed reporting on the evidence, trial and sentences
- Informburo — February 24, 2026 report confirming the appeals were rejected and the judgment left unchanged
- Sputnik Kazakhstan — appellate outcome and recovery date
- Informburo — April 20, 2026 confirmation of transfer to the life-sentence facility
Last reviewed: September 4, 2026