Blizhne-Pesochnoye is a settlement in Vyksunsky District, Nizhny Novgorod Region. It appears in sources primarily in connection with a high-profile 2026 criminal case involving the theft of the art object "Mirazh" from the territory of the neighboring settlement of Doschatoye.

Theft of the Art Object "Mirazh" (2026)

In the summer of 2026, as part of the "Vyksa Festival", a metal sculpture entitled "Mirazh", created by Nizhny Novgorod artist Ivan Belov, was installed on the elevated ground of a former dam in the settlement of Doschatoye. Standing 3.5 metres tall and weighing approximately half a tonne, the structure was made from hexagonal rods and conceived as a reminder of the Doschatinsky Pond, which disappeared after a dam breach in 2000. The value of the art object was approximately 428,000 rubles.[1]

On 3 September 2026, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs Department for the city of Vyksa received a report from a local resident informing them of the sculpture's disappearance. A criminal investigation team found only a concrete base and fragments of metal rods at the site.[2]

In the course of the search operation, police identified a resident of Blizhne-Pesochnoye — a 46-year-old man born in 1980 with no prior criminal or administrative record. It was established that he had cut the sculpture free using an angle grinder powered by a petrol generator, after which he hired the driver of a lorry — who was unaware of the cargo's origins — and together they transported the structure to an outbuilding at his home. According to investigators, the perpetrator had intended to sell the metal to a scrap metal dealer.[3][1]

On 11 September 2026, the man was detained. He admitted his guilt and expressed willingness to cooperate with investigators. The sculpture was seized and returned to its owner. The detainee was charged under Article 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (theft), which carries a sentence of up to six years' imprisonment.[3][2]

References

Sources

  1. Zhivyom v Nizhnem — Police solved the theft of the art object "Mirazh" in Vyksa — Zhivyom v Nizhnem
  2. V gorode N — Cut it off with an angle grinder and hid it: a Nizhny Novgorod resident stole a sculpture worth half a million rubles (archive)
  3. Kommersant (Volga Region) — Police detained the thief of the art object "Mirazh" in Vyksa — Kommersant Nizhny Novgorod
Materials from articles used (1)

Theft of the art object "Mirazh" in the settlement of Doschatoye (2026)