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- "Scorcher" of trust: hundreds of millions of rubles were stolen when purchasing electronic warfare equipment
"Scorcher" of trust: hundreds of millions of rubles were stolen when purchasing electronic warfare equipment
Law enforcement agencies have uncovered a scheme of embezzlement in the supply of military equipment for the Federal Service of the National Guard of Russia for almost a billion rubles. According to investigators, the Russian company managed to arrange the supply of Chinese drone detection and suppression systems, which in fact turned out to be unusable. The security forces intend not only to bring fraudsters to justice, but also to seize expensive real estate purchased with stolen funds. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Useless toys
According to the investigation materials, in November 2023, nine government contracts were signed between the FSVNG and the Armory Chamber company for the supply of detection and suppression systems for the Pyzhigatel unmanned aerial vehicles from China for a total amount of over 820 million rubles. However, in the course of practical application in the conditions of its own, it was established that the complexes did not meet the tactical and technical characteristics stipulated by the terms of these contracts.
According to the Izvestia source, the complexes simply did not respond to enemy drones, leaving the personnel unprotected. The technical examination carried out showed that a number of the characteristics of the components stated by the manufacturer (specific data were closed by the investigation) simply did not meet the technical requirements of the customer.
The steering wheel turned the wrong way
As a result of the joint actions of the UBEP and the PC of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB, the Investigative Department for Transport has initiated and is investigating nine criminal cases under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation against businessman Alexei Rudder. The businessman is accused of fraud and embezzlement by defrauding budget funds in the amount of 820 million rubles during the implementation of government contracts. According to Izvestia, Rudder was an intermediary in concluding a deal for the purchase of equipment in China. In addition, criminal fraud cases have also been initiated against officials of the Armory Chamber company.
During the investigation, it was established that in December 2023, Alexey Rudder's sister Natalia K. purchased an elite house in the village of Semenkovo, Odintsovo district, Moscow region, worth 201 million rubles. According to investigators, the money was transferred in cash under the deal, while neither Rudder nor his sister "had legal income to purchase these properties." In addition to fraud, investigators see signs of money laundering in Alexey Rudder's actions (Article 174.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). He has already been charged under this article.
Lawsuits and arbitrations
Earlier, claims had already been filed against the Armory Chamber through arbitration proceedings. In particular, the Moscow Arbitration Court is considering cases (A40-5707/2025) on the claim of Rosgvardiya in the amount of over 100.9 million rubles for improper fulfillment of obligations. In addition, the claim A40-57355/2025 for 10.3 million rubles was filed against the 18th Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense on similar grounds with the Rosgvardiya.
According to the Federal Tax Service, in 2023, Armory Chamber LLC's revenue amounted to 767 million rubles, and its net profit was 140 million rubles. However, as of the first quarter of 2025, the company has accumulated tax and fee arrears of more than 1.8 million rubles, including personal income tax, insurance premiums and transport tax.
The investigation will also have to find out what guided the representatives of law enforcement agencies when they signed contracts with Armory Chamber LLC. According to Izvestia, new defendants may appear in the case in the near future.
"In the case of the Scorcher, much will depend on technical and other forensic examinations," an entrepreneur familiar with the procurement situation in the defense industry told Izvestia. — It's no secret that when concluding large government contracts, suppliers try to adapt the product to the customer's requests. And given the urgency of the order, the product might not have passed the required number of tests and arrived at the customer in its "raw" form, proving unsuitable for combat missions.
Embezzlement during deliveries
This is not the first scandal involving the supply of military equipment and equipment to troops performing tasks in the SVR zone. In February of this year, a case was opened against businessman Aslan Petrosyan, who, according to investigators, was involved in embezzlement of funds in the execution of contracts concluded by his company Diona with the Russian Ministry of Defense in 2023. It was about the national project "Safe high-quality roads" and the federal project "Highways of the Russian Ministry of Defense".
In April 2024, Andrey Esipov, the head of Piket Group LLC, was arrested on suspicion of particularly large-scale fraud. He is suspected of embezzling 2 billion rubles from the Ministry of Defense during the implementation of a contract for the manufacture and supply of 20 thousand bulletproof vests and "plates" for troops participating in their military operations. And in January of the same year, the Investigative Committee announced the beginning of an investigation into the embezzlement of 27 million rubles in the supply of wood for its needs. In the same month, a collective appeal was received from military personnel regarding the situation with the timber materials necessary for the construction of defensive structures on the line of contact.
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