In Russia, a top executive at Uralvagonzavod was arrested for embezzling funds from a state defense contract

The Basmanny Court in Moscow has arrested Dmitry Semizorov, a top executive at the Uralvagonzavod concern, who is suspected of embezzlement while fulfilling a state defense contract.

This is reported by Russian media. 

Semizorov served as general director of special equipment at Russia’s largest manufacturer of tanks and railway cars.

He is accused of embezzlement on an especially large scale under Part 4 of Article 160 of the Russian Criminal Code.

Investigators claim that the criminal case is linked to the period when Semizorov headed the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TsNDI-Tochmash)—one of the key enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.

The enterprise manufactures small arms, ammunition, and military equipment for the Russian Federation’s security forces.

According to investigators, in 2016, CNITMASH entered into a contract with the company “FSK Progress” to supply climate control equipment as part of a state defense order.

The total value of the deal was approximately 130 million rubles, but law enforcement officials believe that the actual value of the equipment did not exceed 80 million rubles.

Thus, according to the investigation, approximately 50 million rubles were embezzled, and the funds were converted into cash through a criminal scheme.

Dmitry Semizorov, who headed TsNDIOTCHMASH from 2012 to 2018, has not admitted guilt.

According to him, the testimony against him was provided by other defendants in the case as part of a plea deal with investigators.

Uralvagonzavod is one of the key enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex and the main manufacturer of tanks for the Russian Armed Forces.