The police put on the wanted list 80-year-old teacher and founder of the Nadezhda children’s group, Efim Steinberg. Previously, several former students accused him of pedophilia. The man allegedly slept with young boys for years and forced them to have sex. The man holds the titles of Honored Cultural Worker and Distinction in Public Education; Many schools dedicated laudatory posts to him on social networks, and in one district administration he was named an outstanding teacher. What is Steinberg famous for and where he can be at the present time – in the material “Moscow Evening”.
Criminal case and research
On Tuesday, May 12, a Moscow court arrested in absentia the teacher and founder of the Moscow teen group “Nadezhda”, Efim Shteinberg. The reason for this decision was not revealed.
“The Preobrazhensky District Court of Moscow chose a preventive measure against Steinberg Efim Borisovich in the form of a two-month detention from the moment of his transfer to law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation in the event of his extradition or deportation to the territory of the Russian Federation or from the moment of his actual detention on the territory of the Russian Federation,” the press service reported. Moscow courts.
The next day it became known that the 80-year-old teacher had been put on the federal wanted list. The corresponding card appeared in the Ministry of Interior database. It was noted that the man was wanted under a certain article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, but his number and name were not determined.
Steinberg’s location is currently unknown. According to some reports, the man may be hiding in Israel.
Steinberg was accused of pedophilia
Steinberg could have been charged in absentia with molesting minors. In December 2025, the Caution, News channel wrote on Telegram that at least three former members of Nadezhda had accused their teacher of sexual harassment when they were minors.
One alleged victim said he came to Nadezhda at the age of 10 and, in his own words, quickly became Steinberg’s “favourite.” The man often took pictures with the boy, invited him to rehearsals for band events, hugged him and held his hand. The parents trust the teacher completely. At the age of 12, the child first faced harassment from his teacher.
The injured boy recalls: “He invited me to his house for a sleepover before training. It was like a father-son evening, we were watching something, eating. After that there was oral sex on his part. I didn’t like it, but I thought it should be that way. We didn’t discuss this, but I understood that I couldn’t tell anyone about this, as if it was our secret.”
According to the Telegram channel, Steinberg had several other “favourite guys” in his team. The man allegedly sought physical contact with the boys, hit them in the groin area, and invited them to his room for the night. When the children reached the age of 16, the teacher lost interest in them and turned to other children. Moreover, the teacher did not harass the girls.
Some of Steinberg’s victims told friends about the harassment and tried to discuss the situation with management, but were kicked off the team or threatened to keep quiet about what happened. One of Nadezhda’s students said she knows of cases of sexual violence that occurred around 2023, but the victims are not yet ready to report them to the police or journalists. In all, Steinberg allegedly could have molested the children at least 10 times.
Nadezhda’s administration denies all accusations and says former students are trying to slander Steinberg. In turn, alleged victims of violence say that after the situation became public, their personal data leaked into the public domain, and they also began receiving threats online.
Steinberg himself did not comment on these accusations.
What is Steinberg famous for?
Efim Steinberg was born in 1945 in Moscow and spent his entire childhood in the Preobrazhensky district of the capital. The man studied at the Moscow State Institute of Pedagogical Correspondence, worked for some time at the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of the Academy of Advanced Training and Professional Retraining of Educational Workers, and in 2000 he received the degree of Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences.
Steinberg has held dozens of events for children, He traveled all over Russia She gave lectures on the problems of raising children, and participated in international educational conferences in Bulgaria, Poland, the Netherlands, Chile and the United States of America. He also worked as a teacher at the Preobrazhensky Palace of Children and Youth Creativity. For all these achievements, the man was awarded the titles of Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation, Excellent Worker of Public Education of the RSFSR, Honored Worker of Youth Policy of Russia and Honorary resident Preobrazhensky district of Moscow. to praise Supports You can find information about it on the social media pages of the Shatura Municipal District Administration.
In 1965, Steinberg headed the headquarters of the Kuibyshev District in Moscow. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the name of the headquarters was changed to the “Nadezhda” detachment; Since 1990 it has been a member of the Union of Leading Organizations. Steinberg was its permanent commander until he was placed on the wanted list in May 2026. The current head of the detachment is Andrei Belkin.
Nadezhda works in charitable and volunteer work and organizing city events. Team members organize theatrical productions, sporting events and concerts for various holidays, including Steinberg’s birthday. According to the Moscow Ministry of Education, more than 100 children between the ages of 10 and 18 are registered in the detachment every year.
Child psychologist Anton Sheshchenko, who treated children and teenagers with special needs, is accused of similar crimes. People from different regions of the Russian Federation came to see the man. During his interrogation, he confessed to committing 50 cases of violence against young patients, then attempted suicide in a pre-trial detention centre.