OMON Raids Senior Railway Officials, Two Arrested in Yekaterinburg
Security forces uncovered a corruption scheme that had been operating for many years in Russian Railways (RZD) across several regions. Searches and detentions took place in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Novosibirsk.
Investigators have opened a criminal case under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Russian Criminal Code (receiving bribes as part of an organized group on a particularly large scale).
“According to the investigation, from June 2020 to January 2026, managers of the wagon park preservation department of the wagon management office of the Central Infrastructure Directorate created an organized criminal group to receive bribes from representatives of wagon repair enterprises across the country. Officials, in exchange for rewards, ensured unjustifiably high indicators in the reliability performance ratings for these enterprises, as well as concealed facts of poor-quality repair, manufacturing, and modernization of freight wagons by making adjustments to official reporting data based on forged documents provided by the enterprises,” the Investigative Committee reported.
Bribes were transferred, among other ways, to the bank accounts of relatives of OPG members. The suspects received bribes through intermediaries totaling 19 million rubles (approximately $211,100 at current rates), and more than 50 people are involved in the criminal group«s activities.
In Yekaterinburg, a court arrested two of the alleged members of the group.
The Leninsky Court placed Alexander Averbykh, head of the department for organizing traffic safety and wagon admission to infrastructure at the Wagon Management Office of the Central Infrastructure Directorate of Russian Railways (RZD), under house arrest until March 28. He was placed under house arrest for two months. Alexei Kadushkin, head of the wagon park preservation department of the wagon management office at RZD, was sent to a pre-trial detention center (SIZO).
Previously, we reported on what top officials from Yekaterinburg were accused of: bribes, fraud, and illegal business in their service records.
