Fine increased 10 times for bribe-taking EMERCOM official

A court in Zabaykalsky Krai increased the fine for a bribe-taking deputy head of EMERCOM communications from 300,000 rubles to 3 million rubles (approximately $3,300 and $33,300 at current rates) after the prosecutor's office appealed the lenient sentence.

Apr 29, 2026

Operational footage shows the arrest of EMERCOM deputy head Savely Stolyarov.
Source:
FSB Directorate for Zabaykalsky Krai

Zabaykalsky Krai Regional Court, on appeal by the regional prosecutor«s office, toughened the sentence for Savely Stolyarov, deputy head of communications of the Zabaykalsky branch of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM), who was convicted in summer 2025 to 7 years and 6 months in a strict-regime colony for receiving a bribe of 300,000 rubles (approximately $3,300 at current rates) — under the first-instance court verdict, he was to pay a fine equal to the bribe, but now he must pay 10 times that sum (3 million rubles, approximately $33,300). This was reported on 5 February in the regional prosecutor»s office Telegram channel.

«Due to the leniency of the sentence, the prosecutor«s office appealed the verdict in Zabaykalsky Krai Regional Court. The appeal agreed with the arguments of the prosecution and changed the lower court»s decision, additionally imposing a fine of 3 million rubles on the bribe-taker. Arguments of the defense«s complaints were rejected,» the statement said.

In addition, Stolyarov is banned from holding positions in the civil service and local government for 5 years.

The crime was uncovered by the regional directorate of the Federal Security Service (FSB). According to investigators, in March 2024 Stolyarov received a bribe for assistance in coordinating a project to reconstruct the warning system in Chita. He was investigated under Part 5 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (receiving a bribe on a large scale). Despite detected violations in the documentation, the accused drafted documents approving the project, receiving 300,000 rubles for it.

Also involved in the criminal case are a representative of a commercial firm who gave the bribe, as well as an intermediary. All defendants pleaded guilty.

The representative of the commercial firm who gave the bribe to the deputy head of EMERCOM was sentenced to 8 years in a strict-regime colony and a fine of 4.5 million rubles (approximately $50,000 at current rates). The intermediary received 6 years of suspended imprisonment and a fine of 3 million rubles (approximately $33,300).