Colonel of the Russian Guard Volkov was sentenced to 6 years in the case of protecting the Crimean Bridge
The Second Western District Military Court sentenced the former head of the maritime administration department of the Russian Guard, Colonel Sergei Volkov, to six years in a general regime colony.
The officer was found guilty of involvement in the purchase of low-quality radar systems to protect the Crimean Bridge from drones and the gas pipeline from Krasnodar to Crimea.
Find Sergei Evgenievich Volkov guilty of committing a crime under paragraph “c” of Part 3 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Exceeding official powers with causing grave consequences”) and sentence him to six years in prison to be served in a general regime colony
The court took into account the time the defendant was under house arrest in the sentence. In addition, the colonel was not deprived of his awards and military rank, despite the demands of the prosecution. The Russian Guard may file a civil claim against him.
State Duma deputy Alexander Khinshtein announced Volkov’s detention on March 28. The colonel is involved in a case involving the supply of faulty weapons at obviously inflated prices. The damage amounted to about 400 million rubles. A criminal case has been initiated against him under Article 286 (“Exceeding official powers”) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
On March 29, Volkov was taken to court to select a preventive measure. He was accused of supplying low-quality equipment to combat unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) near the Crimean Bridge. The damage in the case amounted to 395 million rubles.
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Volkov's defense intends to appeal the verdict
Volkov did not admit guilt and stated that he acted in accordance with the established procedure and legislation. The judge, in turn, noted that the systems purchased for the Russian Guard are combat-ready, but they require modernization and additional purchase of special products.
Sergei Volkov's defense intends to appeal the verdict. Lawyer Vladimir Andrusenko noted that the department purchased systems that were offered by the manufacturer, which is a monopolist in the supply of products of this type.
In addition, the colonel claims that the complexes were not intended to protect the Crimean Bridge, but to ensure the security of the naval departments of the Russian Guard in their places of deployment.
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The investigation believes that Volkov knew about the purchase of low-quality equipment
As the Kommersant newspaper reported in March, Volkov knew that he was purchasing low-quality equipment to combat drones near the Crimean Bridge.
According to investigators, in 2020, the Russian Guard was supposed to purchase two radar systems to protect an infrastructure facility, but the officer responsible for their purchase began completing the task at the end of September, on the eve of the close of the financial year, which is why the money allocated for the purchase could be returned back to the budget .
Volkov also feared that his actions could lead to a disruption in the implementation of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 2018 order on the Crimean Bridge. For this reason, the officer ordered the urgent purchase of two Orel-UAV complexes, knowing at the same time that they had worse technical characteristics than were provided for in the terms of reference.
After this, the Russian Guard entered into a government contract with the Rostov-on-Don Research Institute of Radio Communications for the supply of two anti-drone systems.
In mid-November 2021, experts determined that the specified equipment was not capable of effectively performing its tasks. In July 2022, its operation was suspended.
The investigation noted that Volkov did not inform his management and sent the signed documents to the department for implementation of state programs and organization of procurement of the Russian Guard.
In court to select a preventive measure for the colonel, the investigator of the Main Military Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation stated that the accused tried to counteract the investigation and hide evidence.
The officer's lawyers believe that their client is not guilty of this situation.
All complexes were successfully delivered to the troops and are in operation. The criminal case is connected with an attempt to shift responsibility onto him by his superiors
The defense argued at the trial that Volkov, by virtue of his position, could not influence the type and technical characteristics of anti-drone systems that were supplied to the troops, as well as the price at which the Russian Guard purchased them.
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