A scheme involving counterfeit canned meat for the military has been uncovered in Russia
Russia is investigating a large-scale scheme involving the supply of counterfeit canned meat to troops fighting in the war against Ukraine. According to the investigation, hundreds of millions of rubles may have been embezzled through the sale of these counterfeit canned goods, and the products themselves were found to be unfit for consumption by soldiers.
The case is already being investigated by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, and those implicated include officials from the Ministry of Defense and representatives of suppliers.
According to Russian media reports citing investigation materials, substandard canned meat may have been supplied to the front lines for two years under the guise of regular canned beef. In total, according to the investigation, approximately 170,000 cans of counterfeit products worth about 7 billion rubles were sent to the army. The suspicious shipment was discovered in the warehouses of one of the brigades of the 25th Combined Arms Army, which is stationed in the territory of the so-called “LPR.”
An inspection of the products revealed that the canned meat contained skin residues, excessive amounts of starch, and the food additive carrageenan. The prosecutor’s office also identified violations at the production facility of the Selatino enterprise near Moscow, where these products were manufactured.
As a result, the protein content in the canned meat was reduced, and the product itself was deemed counterfeit and unfit for military consumption. “The products were deemed counterfeit and unfit for military personnel, especially during combat operations,” the case materials state.
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case under the article on fraud on an especially large scale committed by an organized group. Six people are involved in the case, including the former head of the food supply division of the Russian Ministry of Defense’s Department of Resource Support.
Also among the suspects are company executives, technologists, and business partners who, according to the investigation, facilitated the production and supply of substandard products and the preparation of forged documents regarding their quality.
According to the investigation, the supply was organized through a series of intermediary companies that entered into contracts and supplied military units with canned goods. The actual manufacturer of the products was the company “Selatino,” where, it is alleged, cheap raw materials were used and product quality was compromised to generate greater profits. According to the Investigative Committee, certain individuals were responsible for securing access to contracts and covered up the group’s activities through their connections within government agencies.
The case materials note that this is not the first corruption scandal involving food supplies for the Russian army. Previously, courts had already handed down sentences to officials of the Russian Ministry of Defense for accepting bribes from suppliers and contract fraud. Russia is also investigating other cases related to the supply of substandard food to the military, which indicates systemic problems in the field of military procurement. This is reported by Russian media.
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