- Статьи
- Society
- Defense divorces: how the FSB uncovered the theft of 460 million from defense industry enterprises
Defense divorces: how the FSB uncovered the theft of 460 million from defense industry enterprises
Two businessmen suspected of embezzling over 460 million rubles from defense industry enterprises face up to 10 years in prison and a heavy fine, lawyers told Izvestia. The arrest of the merchants was reported on March 17 by the FSB of Russia. The investigation believes that they stole funds allocated for the production of "particularly sought-after weapons." The FSB also spoke about the systematic fight against embezzlement in the implementation of the state defense order — in 2025 alone, more than 700 criminal cases were initiated, about 200 defendants were convicted, and about 10 billion rubles were returned to the state budget and defense industry enterprises. The details of criminal schemes and another high—profile case are in the Izvestia material.
Embezzlement of 460 million from defense industry enterprises
The heads of two commercial firms were arrested in Moscow on charges of embezzling over 460 million rubles from enterprises of the military-industrial complex, the FSB Public Relations Center reported on March 17. The defendants "misled representatives of defense industry enterprises" and stole money intended "for the production of particularly sought-after weapons," the department said.
The Central Control Center of the FSB of Russia suppressed the illegal activities of employees of commercial organizations related to the theft of funds from the Russian Defense industry
Criminal cases have been initiated under the article on fraud on an especially large scale. The court sent the businessmen to jail.
In 2022-2023, the attackers and their accomplices concluded contracts with enterprises of the Russian defense industry, Irina Volk, the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, gave details. As a result, the two companies supplied the businessmen with construction materials, construction and electrical equipment worth more than 460 million rubles. "They fulfilled their obligations in full, but they did not receive payment. The scammers stole the acquired material assets and disposed of them at their discretion," Irina Volk wrote on her Telegram channel.
During the searches, the security forces seized documents from the businessmen "exposing illegal activities."
The case of embezzlement of funds from defense industry enterprises is a classic example of fraud committed through abuse of trust and deception, lawyer Vladimir Kuznetsov, chairman of the All—Russian Trade Union of Mediators, told Izvestia.
"Businessmen, acting as contractors or co—executors of state defense orders, provide deliberately false information about their production facilities, the cost of components, or their willingness to complete work on time," he said. — In conditions of increased demand for certain types of weapons, attackers use the haste and priority of defense industry tasks to receive advance payments, which are withdrawn through fictitious transactions or cashed out without going to real production.
Often, attackers fulfill the orders they receive, but change the original components or materials to cheaper counterparts that do not meet quality standards. In some cases, chains of one-day firms are created — this allows artificially increasing the price of the final product and makes it difficult to control the targeted use of the budget, the lawyer said.
What is the threat for fraud with the money of the state defense order
According to Vladimir Kuznetsov, the defendants face up to 10 years in prison under the article on large—scale fraud committed by an organized group. In addition, a fine of up to 1 million rubles is possible.
"Given the strategic importance of defense industry enterprises and funds intended for the country's defense capability, the courts take a tough stance when imposing a preventive measure and final punishment," the expert said. — The probability of getting a real term is extremely high — such actions damage not only the economy, but also national security.
Anton Langert, a partner at the MOORE law firm, is also convinced that in the event of theft of funds from defense industry enterprises on a particularly large scale, there is practically no chance of a reduced sentence.
— This is one of the most sensitive issues for the state, as it directly affects the defense capability. Most likely, what they have done will be regarded as an action undermining state security," he suggested.
Moreover, if the investigation proves that the theft was committed by a group of people who had a clear structure and hierarchy, then their actions may be further qualified under the article on the creation of a criminal community, said Yuri Shofarenko, a lawyer at the Yartykh and Colleagues Bar Association.
"This article could lead to up to 20 years in prison," the expert noted. They can also be sentenced to up to seven years in prison for legalizing stolen funds. Most often, such cases are initiated if the contractor has received money but has not fulfilled its obligations. However, if the entrepreneur proves that he had no intent to embezzle, and all deviations from the terms of the contract were discussed and agreed with the customer, the dispute can be transferred to the civil law plane.
A reduction in the sentence is possible if the suspects admit their guilt, cooperate with the investigation and fully compensate for the damage, says Albert Khaleyan, partner of the Vector Prime Moscow Bar Association.
— For example, in 2024 there was a similar high-profile case of embezzlement of 550 million rubles. The defendants were Romanov, CEO of Praktika Bezopasnosti JSC, and Sholokhov, head of Progress Holding LLC. As a result, one was sentenced to six years in a general regime penal colony, the other to four years of probation. This suggests that the courts are quite tough on crimes of this kind, but at the same time they are ready to individualize the punishment," the expert said.
How many similar cases are being solved
Law enforcement officers are now paying special attention to combating economic crimes in the defense industry, the FSB said. In total, more than 700 similar criminal cases were initiated in Russia in 2025, and about 200 defendants were convicted. As a result, according to the ministry, damage of more than 30 billion rubles in the field of arms production was prevented. About 10 billion rubles were returned to defense industry enterprises and the state budget.
In December 2025, the head of a commercial organization, Alexander Yagodin, was convicted of a similar crime, he pleaded guilty and compensated the damage to the defense enterprise. The court sentenced the businessman to four years of probation, the FSB Central Control Center noted.
In the same month, the court handed down a verdict in another case of embezzlement during the execution of a major defense order. In 2022-2023, the state customer agreed with Sibai and IFC RNGS Capital on services and supplies worth over 1.3 billion rubles. Representatives of these companies, Andrei Grunin and Dmitry Levchenko, provided false information about the price of the work and stole 500 million of budget money. Levchenko was sentenced to eight years in prison, and Grunin to five.
In March 2026, a case of embezzlement of money during the execution of a defense order was initiated in the Khabarovsk Territory, the Main Military Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation reported. Natalia Barabash, the former CEO of Region LLC, and Dmitry Aganin, the CEO of Tolstoy LLC, were in the dock. According to investigators, in 2023 they signed a multimillion-dollar subcontract for the reconstruction of the water supply system of the Komsomolsk-on-Amur facility. Then they provided false documents about the completed work, and the budget funds were stolen.
Criminals use almost identical schemes of theft from defense industry enterprises — the only difference is in the nuances of their execution, lawyer of the Interregional Bar Association Alexander Shushakov told Izvestia.
"From the outside, it looks like an ordinary business activity: contracts, acts, bills, money movement," he said. — It's difficult to find fault, because the chain is well sealed with documents. Inside the scheme, "pads" are used — technical companies with directors who do not conduct real activities, but simply pass money through themselves, severing the direct connection between the payer and the final recipient. In parallel, fictitious services may be provided, such as consulting, support or logistics.
Similar manipulations are carried out with supplies: according to documents, goods or equipment are purchased that either do not exist, or in reality they are supplied in a smaller volume or of worse quality. In addition, goods can be delivered at a deliberately inflated price, and the difference is distributed within the chain of affiliated companies. Sometimes there are arbitration disputes in the schemes to create an imaginary legality of the transaction, he explained.
As Alexander Shushakov noted, such crimes, despite their external complexity, are solved quickly — this is due to the large number of participants: nominal managers, intermediaries, accountants and executors.
— As soon as information begins to leak out, even from one person involved, the whole scheme quickly unwinds. There are also a lot of digital traces, such as bank statements," the lawyer explained.
The situation with embezzlement in the military-industrial complex today goes far beyond the usual economic crimes, military expert Vasily Dandykin believes.
— We need to call a spade a spade: embezzlement in the defense industry in the current reality is a natural betrayal of the Motherland. The shortage of even one shell due to the fact that someone decided to screw up the budget and put the difference in his pocket can cost our fighter his life. Responsibility for such actions should be appropriate," he told Izvestia.
According to the expert, the control by the special services works effectively, but in order to finally eradicate such schemes, legislation should be tightened — up to life imprisonment. This will become "a powerful preventive factor for those who consider the state defense order as a personal feeding trough," Vasily Dandykin believes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
