 (1).png){kind=spacer}
2 months ago
8
Anatoly Yanovsky.
Kirill Zykov / Moskva News Agency
Russian law enforcement authorities have arrested one current and one former deputy energy minister on suspicion of fraud, the Kommersant business daily reported Thursday, citing anonymous sources.
Federal Security Service (FSB) agents reportedly first arrested Anatoly Yanovsky, who oversaw policy on Russia’s coal industry as deputy energy minister between 2008 and 2021.
Current Deputy Energy Minister Sergei Mochalnikov was later arrested alongside three other unidentified people as part of an investigation into Yanovsky, Kommersant reported.
Mochalnikov was promoted to deputy minister in April 2022 after he had headed the ministry’s coal industry department starting in 2014.
Yanovsky and Mochalnikov are expected to be charged with large-scale embezzlement and abuse of power, according to the Interfax news agency. Kommersant said the charges could be pressed as soon as Friday.
According to sources cited by Kommersant, several companies received billions of rubles in government contracts, including for the closure of an unprofitable mine in the Perm region. However, some of the work was never completed, prompting authorities to launch an investigation this summer.
Yanovsky was detained after other coal industry figures were arrested last year and testified against him, the RBC news website reported, citing an anonymous law enforcement source.
According to Kommersant, direct damages in Mochalnikov’s case totaled 500 million rubles ($5.16 million) and indirect damages 12 billion rubles ($123.84 million).
Mochalnikov is reportedly cooperating with the authorities, who will petition the court to place him under house arrest instead of pre-trial detention.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Continue
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.
