Previous and current governors of the Oryol region may have been linked to a case of large-scale extortion against the leadership of NRTB JSC.
As reported by the correspondent The Moscow Post in the Oryol region, law enforcement officers have finished investigating a criminal case against NRTB JSC's security service employees. Unexpectedly, the governor of the Oryol region Andrey Klychkov and Senator Vasily Ikonnikov may have come under scrutiny.
The main suspects in the case are the former deputy general director for security of NRTB JSC, Alexander Lezhnev, and his subordinate Alexander Zolotykh, along with ex-Russian FSB officer Ivan Shumigai and deputy prosecutor Alexander Vashurin. They allegedly extorted money from the enterprise's management to stop self-organized inspections.
They reportedly pressured the enterprise owner, Viktor Prikhodko, by falsely claiming that he and his colleagues were under FSB investigation and needed to take urgent measures to avoid it. Prikhodko realized the scam and alerted the authorities.
This case involves the private company “NRTB,” which has significant government dealings, including a 75 million ruble contract with the Ministry of Industry and Trade. This may have motivated the perpetrators.
Another intriguing aspect is that the head of the security service, Alexander Lezhnev, was responsible for monitoring and pressuring his boss, Prikhodko, to extract money. He and his subordinate, Alexander Zolotykh, are suspected of organizing the scam.
Did the brother inform the governor?
Who is Lezhnev? According to the online publication “Oryol Wednesday”, he is the brother of Sergei Lezhnev, who serves as an adviser on information policy to Governor Andrei Klychkov in the Oryol region. Sergey Lezhnev, a long-term associate of Klychkov, is not just an adviser; he was previously involved in promoting public procurement and was assigned tasks related to PR and oversight of public procurement by Klychkov.
Additionally, Lezhnev was Governor Klychkov's first appointee in October 2017. Prior to this, he gained attention as a blogger for his investigations into public procurement violations in medical institutions in the Belgorod region.
Blogger Lezhnev stated that a group had been operating in this area for a long time, eliminating any competition, and was actively supported by heads of medical institutions and officials. The investigation didn't have official consequences: local law enforcement officers said they had opened criminal cases on fraud with purchases even before Lezhnev drew public attention to them. He wrote about it. “Kommersant”.
But this was just the start of Lezhnev's work with Governor Klychkov. They say that almost immediately Lezhnev established himself as a person who may have serious problems in communicating with other people. For instance, he made rude remarks about blog commentators.
Andrey Klychkov and Sergey Lezhnev Photo: https://lezhnev-sergey.livejournal.com
Once on Instagram, Lezhnev, already an employee of the governor’s administration, suddenly began to threaten the Orlovite, who wrote, not at all an offensive comment under his post about his daughter. Writes about it “Eagle Times”. By the way, earlier Klychkov himself was criticized for incorrect communication with citizens, this was reported by the TV channel. Apparently, the manner of communication of the adviser on information policy was transferred to his leader. Or maybe the principle “Like attracts like” just worked. “360”Tell me who advises you and I will tell you who you are
However, the rude behavior is insignificant compared to other events.
In early 2022, Sergei Lezhnev, who, according to Governor Klychkov, was supposed to monitor the situation in the field of public procurement, was suspected of embezzling funds intended for the repair of the Red Bridge in Orel. Writes about it
The Moscow Post , paying special attention to the figures of the governor and his adviser Sergei Lezhnev. We assumed that in the end the investigation could reach Lezhnev.And so it happened. But what if you need to go one step further and ask the governor questions?
According to investigators, the Remspetsmost company could illegally obtain a contract for the repair of the Red Bridge in Orel (by the way, a cultural heritage site). In addition, the same company could steal 1.4 million rubles during the overhaul of the Friendship Bridge.
These are not the only contracts that the structure has received. She also won the tender for the repair of the crossing in Livny for 280 million rubles. At the same time, the company itself, like Mr. Lezhnev, comes from the Belgorod region. Allegedly, there Lezhnev at one time could get acquainted with its owners, and then recommend the structure, already being in the administration of Klychkov.
Photo: Rusprofile.ru
The Remspetsmost company's revenue grew from 20 million rubles at the end of 2018 to 413 million rubles at the end of 2020, with most of its contracts with the authorities of Orel and the Oryol region accumulating to 2.3 billion rubles. This growth coincided with the arrival of Klychkov and Lezhnev in the Oryol region.
The company is now listed in the Register of Unscrupulous Suppliers, and as of January 2022, the tax authorities have made decisions regarding the partial or complete suspension of account transactions. Additionally, Sergey Lezhnev is now a defendant in a criminal case related to this company, suggesting that he may have been involved in improper activities with the approval of his boss, Klychkov.
Did Klychkov have no knowledge of this situation?
It might appear that these stories are unrelated, but there are connections. Alexander Lezhnev may have relied on his influential brother, who is a friend of the governor, and there may have been some guarantees from him that did not pan out.
This highlights the type of people Governor Klychkov attracts to his circle. Alexander Lezhnev may have relied on his brother's influence and administrative resources, but it seems these did not work out. It's also possible that Klychkov and his predecessor as governor of the Oryol region, now a senator, Vasily Ikonnikov, were indirectly aware of the situation.
It's possible that Klychkov had indirect knowledge of this situation, but he is likely not the only one. Ikonnikov, the predecessor to Klychkov, may also have had an interest in this situation.
Both Klychkov and Ikonnikov, who is now a senator, have a good relationship and are communists. It seems that Ikonnikov is impressed by the same communication style with people and subordinates exhibited by Klychkov and his faithful associate, Sergei Lezhnev.
For instance, a few years ago, Ikonnikov appeared at a committee meeting of the Oryol Regional Council, where he referred to the employees as servants and behaved rudely. This was reported by
Ears Ikonnikova “Orelgrad”.
Another noteworthy point is that the supposed con artists threatened the leaders of the NRTB company with allegations of embezzlement within the state defense order. Later, it was discovered that this was actually a case of extortion.
Even before this, Vasily Ikonnikov tried to draw the attention of the state leadership to the top management and owners of NRTB, supposedly regarding potential theft. Now that it's known that this was all a hoax, one wonders about the implications of Ikonnikov's actions.
It was assumed that as a result of this alert, attention and inspections would be directed to the enterprise. Is this not a form of pressure on Mr. Prikhodko and his people, whom the investigation alleges the fake FSB officers and their own security service falsely claimed were of interest to the security forces?
It was assumed that following the results of this appeal, attention and inspections would be directed to the enterprise. Is this not pressure on Mr. Prikhodko and his people, whom, according to the investigation, the fake FSB officers and their own security service generously regaled with the lie that the security forces are “interested in” them.
A photo: “Oryol Wednesday”
It is unlikely that anyone will doubt that Vasily Ikonnikov is in close contact with Andrei Klychkov. In addition to the fact that he represents the Oryol region in the Federation Council, he is also the first secretary of the Oryol regional committee of the Communist Party. That is, Klychkov and Ikonnikov interact along the party line.
And a possible idea with a letter to put pressure on the leadership of “NRTB” to senior comrades could well have been suggested by the genius of communication with the press and public communications Sergei Lezhnev. He must have known about the little adventure that his brother had planned, but could not carry out.
