Kathrine Frich
Voters finally chose a replacement in the November 2026 midterms.
Local elections usually wrap up with quiet paperwork and routine community meetings.
Most county officials spend their terms close to home, handling dull legal chores out of the public eye.
Yet one American officeholder just took a very different career path thousands of miles away.
From Vermont to Moscow
In October 2026, commander Apti Alaudinov of Russia’s Akhmat special forces announced a shocking new recruit on Telegram, according to UNITED24 Media.
Former US Army officer Christopher Helali finished his training and signed a military contract under the call sign “Vermont.” Even while serving a foreign army linked to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, Helali still holds elected office as the high bailiff of Orange County, Vermont.
His jump to the Russian military follows years of backing Moscow’s agenda. After winning his Vermont race in 2024, Helali moved to Russia in 2025, telling local Vermont reporters he faced “increased scrutiny and oppression” back home.
On X, where he calls himself an “investigative journalist,” he openly cheers Kremlin land grabs and once posted, “Crimea IS and ALWAYS will be RUSSIA!”
Ties to foreign regimes
Before enlisting, the former New Hampshire teacher built deep connections with several US adversaries. The North Korean International Solidarity Group reported that Helali led its North American committee and met its president in Beijing in March 2026 to back Pyongyang.
Later that July, he traveled to Iran with pro-Kremlin influencer Jackson Hinkle, vowing on X to “pray for Imam Khamenei and his family.”
By June 2026, Russian media reported that Helali had written to Vladimir Putin to ask for citizenship. Four months later, he joined Akhmat, a unit UNITED24 Media notes is accused of severe human rights abuses in Ukraine.
Speaking to Russian state media, Helali claimed he was already active in the “special military operation.”
An empty county desk
Back in New England, Orange County Sheriff George Contois told UNITED24 Media that the absent bailiff has had zero contact with his department.
“He has done absolutely nothing and has remained anonymous to my office,” Contois said. Because Vermont law does not require high bailiffs to live in the state, officials simply decided to let his term run out.
Voters finally chose a replacement in the November 2026 midterms, electing Republican J.T. Dodge to take over in February 2027. Until that handover happens, a man under Russian military command officially remains a Vermont public servant.
