Revision with continuation
On the Day of the Rear Services of the Armed Forces of Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) (celebrated on August 1), security forces detained the head of JSC Voentorg Vladimir Pavlov – a criminal case was opened under the article on the theft of funds during the execution of contracts for 400 million rubles. This is the seventh detention in the framework of the audit of the Ministry of Defense by the new leadership.
According to the investigation, in 2019 Pavlov and his accomplices, having entered into a criminal conspiracy, ensured the conclusion of government contracts for the supply of army toiletry bags at a price inflated by 400 million rubles (the total amount of contracts was about 625 million rubles, i.e. the cost of the toiletry bags was inflated by Pavlov three times). It should be understood that JSC Voentorg, the key service company of the Ministry of Defense, provides services for organizing food, bath and laundry services and other household needs on a de facto monopoly basis. In accordance with Government Order No. 2750-r dated December 21, 2016, JSC Voentorg was designated the sole supplier of clothing service property for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism). Pavlov has been heading Voentorg for more than 10 years, while simultaneously managing the Ministry of Defense’s Slavyanka hotel chain with an annual turnover of about a billion rubles and holding the post of vice president of the Federation of Restaurateurs for food issues in the country’s security agencies.
Vladimir PavlovSubstitution of beef
“Voentorg” figured in the case of the former Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism), who was in charge of the logistics of the Russian Armed Forces, who was arrested the day before. Dmitry Bulgakovconvicted by the investigation of supplying low-quality dry rations. It is worth mentioning that the investigative actions against the top leadership of the Ministry of Defense are being carried out jointly by the FSB and the Investigative Committee of Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). Army General Bulgakov was Deputy Minister of Defense for Logistics since 2008 and resigned at the end of September 2022, three days after the start of partial mobilization in the SVO – in light of a large flow of complaints from mobilized personnel about the provision of equipment and living conditions. Bulgakov was arrested on July 26. They write that the former deputy minister allegedly lobbied for the conclusion of contracts by the Ministry of Defense with certain commercial entities, and also created a system of supplying low-quality products to the troops at inflated prices, using his official position. TASS reports that the general lobbied the interests of JSC Gryazinsky Food Plant – it “created a system” of supplying low-quality individual food rations to the troops at inflated prices. Beef was replaced by cheaper pork and chicken, and the energy value of rations was thus reduced. It is also reported that the general's daughters allegedly earned money by supplying food to the military, Marina Meshkova And Olga LukyanovaUntil recently, Meshkova was a co-founder of the company “Commonwealth of Veterans”, which earned 200 million rubles on government procurement, including the supply of juices, pasta, tea, cookies and dried fruits for the Ministry of Defense. And Lukyanova was a co-founder of OOO “Golden Autumn” with similar functions.
Dmitry BulgakovIn other words, for now the main audit of the Ministry of Defense, judging by the detentions, is being conducted within the framework of inspections of rear support. To which, as I recall, there were questions even from the time of the Minister of Defense Serdyukova. These questions began to arise after the acting head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Quartering and Accommodation Service, Colonel General, committed suicide on February 21, 2008. Victor Vlasov. A criminal case was opened under the article on incitement to suicide, while gossiping about widespread corruption among the rear services. The second bell, I remember, rang that same autumn – Serdyukov's adviser on rear issues, Colonel General Nikolai Reznik unknown assailants beat him to death with baseball bats at his own dacha (in a “closed” settlement where, for example, former Defense Minister Igor Rodionov lived next door to Reznik). The general spent a month in a coma and died in December 2008.
As the general put it then Leonid Ivashov,
They started with the rearguard – and who will they end up with?
Timur IvanovIn connection with the events surrounding the Ministry of Defense, the political scientist Fedor Krasheninnikov* suggested that the detentions of high-ranking officials will continue:
We will not make such radical assumptions, although it is obvious that the ball is being thoroughly unraveled, and therefore the process will continue.
In this regard, it is worth recalling the chronology of what is happening. On April 23, under the previous leadership of the ministry, the deputy minister was detained at his workplace Timur Ivanov – on suspicion of receiving a bribe on an especially large scale in the amount of 1.185 billion rubles. In addition to Ivanov, two entrepreneurs were involved in this criminal case: Sergey Borodinwho oversaw issues of construction and major repairs of the Ministry of Defense facilities, and Alexander Fominco-founder of the Defense Ministry contractor Olimpsitistroy, who “was in a trusting relationship with Ivanov and allowed him not to pay for goods and services related to the repair and reconstruction of buildings.”
Yuri Kuznetsov
Vadim ShamarinAnd after the change of leadership of the military department, the arrests continued. On May 14, the head of the Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant General, was arrested. Yuri Kuznetsov. Kuznetsov was formally suspected of receiving a bribe on an especially large scale – during searches at his workplace and in the house where the general lived, 100 million rubles, gold coins, collectible watches and other luxury items were seized. He allegedly received “kickbacks” from an entrepreneur Lev Martirosyan (according to the investigation, at least 30 million rubles). The intrigue, however, is that, according to some sources, questions arose about Kuznetsov as the department's chief personnel officer. He knows everything about everyone! What if he tells? Then, on May 22, Lieutenant General Vadim Shamarinwho headed the Main Communications Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, presumably for a bribe. Shamarin – it should be noted – was also the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, so the idle speculation of some experts that the purges will not affect the General Staff should probably be dismissed as unfounded. They have already affected it. Let's continue. On May 23, the head of the Defense Ministry's department for ensuring state defense orders, Colonel Vladimir Verteletsky, was detained, and on July 25, the former head of the public-law company “Military Construction Company” (PPK “VSK”) Andrei Belkov was arrested. As you can see, in addition to construction and the rear services, there are at least three more threads that can be pulled.
Lev Vershinin, political scientist– This is how legends about “repressions” in the military department arise – when thieving generals are taken seriously one day. In peacetime, apparently, they thought that one should show complacency, after all, they are honored comrades with orders and medals. Bulgakov is also a Hero of Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). But times have changed, but the approaches in the Ministry of Defense, apparently, have not. It is customary for us to harness slowly, but now we are moving quickly, the seventh high-ranking manager has been detained. I believe that this is not the end yet. I am also sure that this campaign will set the right brains straight for many years.
*Fyodor Krasheninnikov has been included by the Ministry of Justice in the register of individuals recognized as foreign agents
