The robber of cans: the former head of the food department of the Ministry of Defense is facing new charges

Viktor Tarazevich, the former head of the food department of the Ministry of Defense, may be charged with accepting a bribe. As Izvestia found out, the testimony of a classified witness appeared in the investigation materials, who claims that Tarazevich received five rubles in cash from each can of stew supplied to the troops. In addition, according to the witness, in 2025, 10 million rubles were transferred to him for increasing the volume of supplies of products from MPK Selyatino and the Narmyasprom company.

Both companies are involved in a criminal case on the supply of substandard canned food to military units in the SVO zone in the amount of 700 million rubles.

What was the substitute for meat in the stew

The testimony of a classified witness appeared in the case file on the supply of substandard canned food to the units involved in the SVO a few weeks ago, Izvestia found out. He is listed in the documents as Vladimir Dudashev, however, most likely, this is an assumed first and last name. There is no other personal data of the witness — year of birth, place of residence, information about his attitude to military service — in the case file.

The testimony covers six pages and covers the events of 2024-2025. A significant part of them is devoted to a detailed description of the scheme in which, according to investigators, meat was replaced with cheaper ingredients at the Selyatino meat processing plant in Naro-Fominsk near Moscow. At the beginning of the interrogation, the witness explained his awareness by saying that he had known Artem Baryshkov, the general director of the meat processing plant and the beneficiary of the Narmasprom company, for more than 15 years.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Eduard Kornienko

The witness also stated that he had known former serviceman Andrei Lisov, a major supplier of meat raw materials for the Selyatino enterprise, for about 25 years.

According to the TFR, on Baryshkov's instructions, the contents of canned meat were massively replaced at the meat processing plant he owned, which were then supplied to army units and the Black Sea Fleet.

Instead of beef and pork provided for by GOST, cheaper ingredients were added to the stew, according to the investigation: starch, pork skin trimmings, pork fat and other raw materials.

Beef march: 700 million rubles were stolen during the supply of canned food to the SVO zone

Six people became involved in the criminal case, including the head of the food department of the Ministry of Defense.

Judging by the testimony of the new witness, one of the key participants in this scheme was Andrei Lisov. On Baryshkov's instructions, he allegedly purchased and supplied meat substitutes in industrial quantities.

According to the witness, the scheme began operating at the meat processing plant in early 2024.

Around March of the same year, Baryshkov told the witness that he had signed a major contract with the Ministry of Defense for the supply of stew and instructed Lisov to organize mass purchases of pork skins, trimmings and pork fat. Lisov agreed, and later, as follows from the testimony, he himself told the witness that during the peak months he supplied about 18 tons of pork trimming, 54 tons of pork skins and 72 tons of bacon for Selyatino.

Photo: Global Look Press/dpa

According to the witness, three 18-ton trucks with trailers, fully loaded with pig skins, arrived at the enterprise every month. The bacon was delivered weekly — one 18-ton car at a time.

The witness claims that the skins were purchased for cash in St. Petersburg, the trimming was from the Moscow company Agrokapital, and the bacon was from Tambov Bacon.

Corruption scheme

The most important part of the testimony concerns the alleged corruption scheme. The witness stated that he had known for many years another person involved in the case, Dmitry Mizgir, whom the investigation considers to be an intermediary. He is currently in hiding.

According to the witness, in December 2024, Mizgir wanted to arrange for his relatives to join one of Baryshkov's companies and, with the assistance of Lisov, met the owner of the enterprises.

Photo: RIA Novosti

As early as March 2025, Baryshkov told a witness that Mizgir had a wide range of acquaintances and personally knew Viktor Tarazevich, the head of the food department of the Ministry of Defense. According to the businessman, through Mizgir, he asked Tarazevich to increase the supply of canned food for the needs of the Ministry of Defense. Subsequently, the mediator arranged for them to meet.

All three met in Moscow. As follows from the testimony, Tarazevich agreed to help increase the supply of beef stew through the Narmasprom company. In return, the colonel allegedly demanded to pay him 10 rubles for each kilogram of canned food, that is, about five rubles for each jar supplied to the troops. Baryshkov, according to the witness, agreed.

The witness claims that Tarazevich fulfilled his promise: already in May–June 2025, the volume of supplies of Narmyasprom stew increased to 1 thousand tons per month. In turn, Baryshkov allegedly transferred 10 million rubles to the head of the food department of the Ministry of Defense through Mizgir.

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In total, 700 similar criminal cases were initiated in 2025, and 10 billion rubles were returned to the budget.

What threatens the accused

Viktor Tarazevich's lawyers declined to comment on the investigation.

Recall that six defendants in this case are accused of fraud on a particularly large scale. According to the TFR, the Narmyasprom and Selyatino companies supplied at least 170 tons of low-quality stew worth 700 million rubles to units in their zone and the Black Sea Fleet.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korotaev

The investigation also believes that Viktor Tarazevich, a native of Kuibyshev, who headed the food department of the Ministry of Defense, was part of a criminal group and did not pay due attention to the quality of products when concluding contracts for the supply of canned meat with Narmyasprom.

Alexander Burchuk, a former Moscow police investigator and lawyer, considers the actions of the investigation in this case consistent and logical.

— I am sure that now the investigators are studying all the contracts signed by the accused and checking them for possible corruption schemes, — said the lawyer.

According to Alexander Burchuk, at the same time, the investigation is interrogating suppliers. During such interrogations, businessmen may be asked to report the facts of corruption known to them in exchange for mitigation of responsibility, provided they turn themselves in and conclude a pre—trial agreement.

At the same time, the lawyer emphasized, according to the law, both the one who transferred and the one who received the bribe can face from eight to 15 years in prison.

According to the lawyer, the tactics of investigating such cases have been worked out for a long time, so the appearance of testimony from witnesses reporting alleged corruption crimes is not unexpected.