Renewed attention to unsolved murder could inflame Kazakh-Russia relations

An unresolved 2024 murder case involving a pregnant Kazakh woman found dead in Germany has re-entered the public spotlight following renewed circulation on social media, potentially heightening jurisdictional frictions between Kazakhstan and Russia amid already strained diplomatic relations.

Aigul Sailibayeva, a former judge from Kazakhstan, was brutally killed in Germany in the summer of 2024 while she was seven months pregnant. German prosecutors believe the main suspect in the killing is her mother-in-law, 49-year-old Natalya Dontsova, who was residing in the same city near Leipzig at the time, as Kazakh media report. However, Sailibayeva’s family insists that her husband, Alexander Dontsov, may also have been involved, with both individuals having fled to Russia shortly after.

Though the case received some coverage from the media landscape, it has only been in recent months that Russian outlets have started more actively reporting on the case. A documentary on the unsolved murder by a popular YouTube crime investigation channel run by journalist Yelena Pogrebizhskaya has revived interest in the case, gathering over 1 million views within mere 24 hours of launching the video. Several media outlets have reported on the case since its launch.

The case is being investigated by the Darmstadt public prosecutor’s office in Germany. According to investigators, Sailibayeva went missing in early June 2024. The day after her parents reported her disappearance and launched a search, her mother-in-law also vanished and was later seen boarding a plane to Moscow.

A week later, police discovered a body in a quarry. The remains were so badly mutilated that relatives were not asked to identify them visually and were instead informed through DNA testing. After Sailibayeva was formally identified, investigators named Dontsova as the primary suspect.

Alexander Dontsov was questioned by German police but was never charged. Relatives say he gave contradictory testimony and was emotionally unstable during interrogations. Several months later, he left Germany without restriction, travelling to Russia with the couple’s young daughter, with both of them holding German citizenship.

Circumstances of case could irritate tense Kazakh-Russian relations

According to Sailibayeva’s brother, Kanat Sailibayev, Dontsov has been in Russia since August 2024. In September, he obtained Russian citizenship for his daughter, with the event aired on Russian television programme Petrovka 38 on September 20, 2024. The broadcast focused on the repatriation of Dontsov to Russia and did not mention the circumstances of Sailibayeva's death or the investigation, with Dontsov himself merely noting that his wife had died and claimed he was raising their daughter alone.

The main suspect in the murder, Natalya Dontsova is known to have political ties in Russia. In 2018, she joined the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) and was once a candidate for mayor of Moscow.

After months of silence on the case, the victim's brother announced on social media that both suspects had been located and detained in Moscow on December 23, 2025 for questioning, yet released shortly after.

"Due to diplomatic complications and the presence of multiple citizenships, these procedures may take a long time,” his post said.

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs later got involved but stated it had not yet received official confirmation from Russian authorities regarding the detention.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan does not have official information from the competent authorities of the Russian Federation about the detention of Natalya and Alexander Dontsov. In connection with media reports, an official request has been sent to the Russian side,” the ministry’s press service said.

In December 2025, Kazakh authorities placed Alexander and Natalya Dontsova on a wanted list in connection with a separate case involving alleged abuse of Aigul Sailibayeva prior to her death. As the murder did occur outside of Kazakh territory, the government can only persecute the suspects for crimes that took place during their visits to Kazakhstan.

Meanwhile, German authorities continue their own criminal investigation into Sailibayeva’s murder. The mother-in-law remains internationally wanted by German law enforcement in connection with the killing.

The case remains open across multiple jurisdictions, underscoring the legal and diplomatic complexity surrounding the unsolved death of.

By Nazrin Sadigova