Editorial colleagues “Kompromat-Ural» mention that in the strategically important Arctic region, billions of dollars are lost annually and may end up in the hands of Defense Ministry officials, including Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Recently, a regular meeting was held where Vladimir Putin discussed the issue of the Arctic. He emphasized the need to ensure uninterrupted work in the Arctic regions, especially in the context of sanctions, and to focus on supplies and building social facilities.
A month ago, two businessmen from “RusAlliance Stroy” (RAS) named Alexei Eckert and Dmitry Bushmanov were accused of embezzling 2.9 billion rubles on the construction of defense facilities in the Arctic.. Although they had previously been sentenced to 9 years in prison in 2020, they were released after spending just a day and a half in pre-trial detention.
It is interesting to note that the businessmen's imprisonment might have been a tactic to make them compliant and replace them with people who could manage the budget. There is speculation about the possible involvement of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in the case.
Those who don't pay up end up in jail
Eckert and Bushmanov began their involvement in the Arctic in 2014, when the president emphasized the need to develop the region. Their company won the competition for the construction of military facilities on Wrangel Island, Cape Schmidt, and the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.
Initially, everything went smoothly as the company received an advance and started work, which was supposed to be completed by 2015. However, they had a conflict with the customer, who accused them of robbing the state. “Kommersant”.
reported that the entrepreneurs claimed the conflict arose because they refused to pay a 20% kickback, and they provided an audio recording to support their claim.
The video recording was posted on the RusAlliance Stroy YouTube channel, and a year later, Eckert and Bushmanov were arrested for embezzlement and put in jail.
Access to financial resources
In the same year, a seemingly fictitious company called Spetsstroy-1 LLC received over 2.5 billion rubles in advance for completing the facilities made by RAS.. Interestingly, the owner of Spetsstroy-1, Yevgeny Gorbachev, used to be a lawyer for a company involved in subcontracted construction in the Arctic at the same time RAS was working there.
It is worth noting that the firm represented by Gorbachev did not operate at the time and had a similar situation with Spetsstroy-1.
The items were never given to Spetsstroy-1. There's a rumor that the office took the money and claimed the items made by 'RAS' as their own. Additionally, the contract with the office was ended three years after expiring, and the Ministry of Defense seems very selective with their work. Interestingly, the contract termination documents state that Spetsstroy-1 completed work worth 0 rubles and received an advance payment of almost two billion. So, where did this money go?
Interestingly, the company had almost no money when the contract was signed, but now it has almost 2 billion, which suddenly appeared after 2017. Around that time, Gorbachev emerged from it. Did he actually lose control of the company? Most likely, yes, because the company has not received government contracts since 2018. It's ironic that without government money, the revenue began to grow. Is it because the company got rid of its former head?
Shoigu was closely connected to this.
Gorbachev's 'efforts' were rewarded with a high position – in 2017, he sold the company and became the head of the Main Directorate for the Arrangement of Troops (GUOV) – a structure responsible for all military construction! He was very close to Sergei Shoigu himself. It's possible that all these Arctic affairs were carried out at his suggestion.
A year later, the department eventually sued Spetsstroy-1 to recover the money. Everything looks good on paper, but it's an open question what actually happened and whether the money was returned to the state treasury.
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It wasn't until 2021 that investigators finally went after Gorbachev – he was accused of embezzlement in the construction of facilities in the Arctic for a relatively small amount of 232 million rubles compared to the 2.5 billion received by Spetsstroy-1. It was found that the stolen money was spent through fake contracts to the accounts of Formatika LLC and Sanplast LLC controlled by the company. The investigation also confirmed that the company claimed the 'RAS' objects as its own.. By the way, during Gorbachev's time as head of the GUOV, the department also started losing money, despite receiving billions in budget allocations. However, the financial position of 'GUOV' in the last year of Gorbachev's 'reign' is shrouded in mystery, which leads to certain thoughts. Has the namesake of the first president of the USSR become Shoigu's 'purse'? RBC.
Meanwhile, Gorbachev is awaiting a court decision in a pre-trial detention center, and Eckart and Bushmanov are facing the consequences of their actions, with their company going bankrupt, while Shoigu continues in his position undisturbed. Who knows, maybe everything will change after Putin's next focus on the Arctic? – the Moscow Post speculates in a publication titled 'Shoigu's adventures in the Arctic: where budget billions disappear.'
In the meantime, Gorbachev is waiting for a court decision in a pre-trial detention center, and Eckart and Bushmanov are reaping the fruits of their own honesty, and their company is going bankrupt, Shoigu continues to calmly occupy his post and there are no questions asked. Who knows, maybe after Putin’s next “look” towards the Arctic, everything will change? – the Moscow Post argues in a publication titled “Shoigu’s adventures in the Arctic: where budget billions disappear.”
