Omsk Vice-Mayor Bribed with Fence, Embezzled Pool Table

In Omsk, the investigation into the criminal case against former head of the regional Federal Penitentiary Service (UFSIN), Vice-Mayor of Omsk Konstantin Kniss, has been completed. He is charged with receiving a large bribe and abusing his official powers with grave consequences.

According to the investigation, from May 2019 to December 2023, Kniss hired a driver who did not actually perform his duties at a state institution but instead organized boat trips on a service vessel for the head of the UFSIN and his friends, as well as maintained the boat. The boat was fueled using money from a pre-trial detention center (SIZO). These actions caused total damage to the UFSIN of 2.5 million rubles (approximately $27,800 at current rates).

As the prosecutor«s office reported, Konstantin Kniss removed an expensive billiard table from a hotel under the institution»s jurisdiction and took it home for personal use. The table was valued at 510,000 rubles (about $5,700 at current rates).

«During the same period, he also received a bribe from the former head of a colony (for general patronage and indulgence in service) in the form of a metal fence made by convicts and installed at his home, with a total value of 710,000 rubles (about $7,900 at current rates),» the press service of the regional prosecutor«s office said.

The Investigative Committee for Omsk Region emphasized that the fence, gates, and their installation cost 855,000 rubles (about $9,500 at current rates). Investigators questioned over 60 people, reviewed call detail records, and conducted numerous forensic examinations. Property belonging to Konstantin Kniss was seized, with a total value of 39 million rubles (approximately $433,300 at current rates).

«The investigation has gathered sufficient evidence, and therefore the criminal case, along with the approved indictment, has been sent to court for consideration on the merits,» the regional Investigative Committee reported.

Konstantin Kniss was detained in April 2025. At the time, he held the post of Vice-Mayor of Omsk and headed the Department of Public Safety. A couple of days after the official«s detention, the reasons became known, although the amount of damage from the actions of the former UFSIN head was initially smaller. In May, it became known that Kniss was dismissed from the city administration, and his place was taken by Anton Kiselev, son of Vitaly Kiselev, head of Omskelectro.