First day bribe
The Dorogomilovsky court informed TASS that investigators had filed a petition seeking the detention of Alexander Matyushkin, the deputy head of the Federal Air Transport Agency’s digitization department, in a bribery case. The petition also named businessman Ivan Larionov as a co-defendant. According to the agency, the actions reported by the court marked the first significant development in the ongoing investigation.
By February 24, the court had ordered Matyushkin’s arrest in connection with the bribery case, a step that signaled a serious turn in the probe. The court confirmed to TASS that it had accepted the request for preventive measures in the form of detention against Matyushkin.
The case dossier indicates that both defendants face charges under Section 6 of Article 290, which covers taking bribes on a particularly large scale. The maximum sentence under this provision can reach 15 years in a general regime penal colony.
According to a source cited by REN TV, other personnel at the Federal Air Transport Agency do not appear to be implicated in the Matyushkin-Larionov affair, suggesting a focused scope in the current proceedings.
The businessman allegedly sought to secure a favorable contract through bribery after winning a government bidding contest. Reportedly, Matyushkin requested an amount deemed excessive by the businessman, who then decided to report the scheme to law enforcement authorities.
According to the same source, Matyushkin was caught in the act on December 24, with approximately 4.5 million rubles having been transferred to him. Larionov, who admits involvement, could face a prison sentence for bribery on a substantially large scale.
Matyushkin was appointed deputy head of the digitization department on November 17, the same day Larionov approached him with an offer. The contract at issue involved the supply of software and was valued at 22.8 million rubles.
Rosaviatsiya, the Federal Air Transport Agency, later released information that another employee from the agency’s Digital Transformation Department had also been detained in connection with investigative measures. The agency noted that officials and staff are aiding investigators as necessary and that documents relevant to the case have been seized.
Additionally, the agency denied a report from the SHOT Telegram channel about an alleged phone call made in the head office of the agency by Alexander Neradko. TASS relayed the agency’s statement that no such calls took place.
Earlier, SHOT had claimed that security forces had searched Neradko’s office in connection with alleged bribery involving a subordinate of Tatyana Kocherova, who leads the digital transformation and security department. Kocherova reportedly assumed this role only a few months prior, at the age of 27, and is said to be connected to Matyushkin’s case through the surrounding personnel changes.
Kocherova declined to comment on the investigation, directing inquiries to the Federal Air Transport Agency’s press service. It remained unclear whether the arrest of Matyushkin was connected to the Kocherova-led department or to broader actions within the agency.
Izvestia quoted unnamed sources indicating searches conducted at the agency’s central office on Leningradsky Prospekt in Moscow. The reports suggested that more than ten officers from the Federation Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs were involved in inspecting the offices of Kocherova, Anna Pasko, and Elena Kudlayeva, who heads the Financial Affairs, Budget Planning, and Reporting Department, respectively. An additional anonymous source hinted that the searches were tied to a budget embezzlement case related to subsidies for interregional flights.
However, the Federal Air Transport Agency’s press service explained that the detention of the recently hired employee bore no relation to subsidies or government support measures for airports and airlines. The agency asserted that the current detention was unrelated to any such subsidies and stressed its commitment to cooperating with investigators throughout the process.