Prosecutors Seek Over 2B Rubles from Vladivostok Resident
The court has seized assets of the former VSUES rector in connection with a criminal case.
The Prosecutor General«s Office of Russia has filed a lawsuit against former rector of Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service (VSUES) and ex-deputy of the regional legislative assembly Gennady Lazarev and his associates. The agency demanded the seizure of property for the state, linked to a case concerning a criminal community in Primorsky Krai, the key figure in which is an honorary resident of Vladivostok.
According to Interfax, the lawsuit was filed with the Leninsky District Court of Vladivostok and has already been accepted for consideration. Among the defendants are Lazarev himself, members of his family, nine companies associated with them, as well as former prosecutor of Primorsky Krai Valery Vasilenko and other individuals. The court has already imposed an arrest on their movable and immovable property and prohibited any transactions with it.
As explained in court, the Prosecutor General«s Office insists on the confiscation of assets obtained, according to the investigation, through criminal means. However, the exact amount of the claim is not specified in the lawsuit, but it is separately emphasized that the total damage to the state exceeds 2 billion rubles (approximately $21 million at current rates).
The case is linked to the investigation of the activities of an alleged criminal community. The investigation believes that its participants are involved in the theft of state property and money laundering. The alleged organizer and head of the criminal community, Gennady Lazarev, who is now 76 years old, was arrested back in March 2024. At the same time, other alleged participants of the criminal community were detained.
Simultaneously, the former rector of VSUES is undergoing bankruptcy proceedings. In September 2025, an arbitration court declared him financially insolvent. Lazarev himself stated that his debts exceed 3.1 billion rubles (approximately $33 million at current rates) and he cannot repay them. Currently, the sale of his property is underway, which should be completed by spring 2026.
In addition, a criminal case on the creation of a criminal community, fraud, and legalization of income amounting to over 80 million rubles (about $840,000 at current rates) has already been sent to court. Investigative authorities believe that the illegal activities were conducted over a long period — at least from 2013 to 2021.
It is known that Gennady Lazarev was not only the rector of one of the largest universities in Primorye, but also a major businessman. According to the latest disclosed reports, he owned 29% of the shares of the shipbuilding enterprise «Vostochnaya Verf» (Eastern Shipyard) — one of the key plants in the Far East. Currently, management of the shipyard has been transferred to the Amur Shipbuilding Plant, which is part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation.
