Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ A major corruption scandal is reported to be unfolding in the Russian Ministry of Defence that implicates several generals and ministers, concerning the hugely expensive construction of Russia's National Defence Control Centre (NDCC) in 2014. ⬇️

2/ The VChK-OGPU Telegram channel reports that an embezzlement investigation concerning the installation of software for ballistic missile and cruise missile detection radars has spawned another major investigation relating to corruption in the construction of the NDCC.

3/ The lavishly designed NDCC, located in central Moscow, is the supreme command and control center of the MOD and the Russian Armed Forces. Its purpose is to provide centralised control of the armed forces and coordinate military operations.

4/ It was opened in 2014 after huge cost overruns – it reportedly cost over 40 billion rubles ($500 million), which VChK-OGPU says was spent on "beautiful sofas, armchairs, televisions and computers for fabulous money (bought at several times higher than the market value)."

5/ The sprawling case reportedly began when the Military Department of Investigation of the Strategic Missile Forces uncovered an incident of petty bribery. An employee of RTI Systems was arrested for taking a bribe to employ a person in the company's military acceptance office.

6/ He struck a plea deal under which he agreed to talk about other crimes in exchange for a suspended sentence. As a result, he implicated Colonel Marchukov, the MOD's military representative in RTI Systems. The company is a leading supplier of radar and communications systems.

7/ The colonel was "charged with the same episode of bribery for employment, as well as two other episodes of bribery (for general patronage and in the form of an apartment), and was also accused of machinations in installing software on radar complexes."

8/ Marchukov was reportedly bribed with the gift of an apartment by Sergey Datsko, the head of the Dubnensky Machine-Building Plant (DMZ), which develops and produces UAVs and the Moskit, Kh-22 and Kh-55 cruise missiles.

9/ The bribe is said to have been in exchange for Marchukov overlooking corruption in the MOD. Marchukov was in turn granted leniency by investigators seeking to find out who was involved in corruption at more senior levels.

10/ He reportedly gave testimony implicating Major General Vyacheslav Lobuzko, whom VChK-OGPU describes as "one of the "fathers" of the Voronezh SPSV radar, designed to detect ballistic and cruise missiles".

11/ Lobuzko was the former division commander of the 3rd Independent Air Defence Army. He moved to RTI in 2000 after his retirement from the armed forces and worked for the company until 2019 as a senior manager in Sistema's defence division.

12/ While employed by RTI, he oversaw the construction of the NDCC. The Moscow garrison court has reportedly placed him under arrest. If convicted, the 68-year-old general faces a lengthy prison sentence.

13/ The case may not end there. A VChK-OGPU source "believes that Lobuzko will also be forced to make a deal with the investigation," which could lead to the senior MOD leadership.

14/ The channel speculates that he could implicate, among others, Major General Oleg Stepanov, head of the MOD's Department of Military Representation; and former Deputy Minister of Defence Mikhail Mizintsev, who formerly headed the NDCC.

15/ The scandal may potentially reach as far as Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu himself. He created the NDCC and is known for his lavish spending on luxury properties, such as this Asian-style dacha near Moscow. /end

Sources:
🔹t.me/vchkogpu/38571
🔹 t.me/vchkogpu/38583