A court in Orenburg Oblast has sentenced a former deputy head of the regional Rosgvardiya directorate to four years in a strict-regime penal colony for accepting bribes.
The regional directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia reported to news outlet Lenta.ru that the former law enforcement officer was also fined 2.5 million rubles and stripped of his rank of police colonel.
A judicial order also confiscated 330,000 rubles from the former official into state revenue.
Investigators stated that between 2023 and 2024 the convicted official accepted bribes totaling 330,000 rubles from representatives of four commercial organizations. The companies involved were engaged in training private security guards and teaching ordinary citizens the safe handling of weapons.
In return for the payments, the deputy head promised the organizations general patronage and official connivance in the line of duty.
Background on Rosgvardiya and regional law enforcement
Rosgvardiya, officially known as the National Guard of the Russian Federation, is a federal executive military force established in 2016. The agency is responsible for internal security, public order, firearm licensing, and the regulatory oversight of private security companies operating across Russia.
The rank of police colonel is a senior officer designation within Russian law enforcement and paramilitary structures. Deprivation of rank is an additional penalty under Russian penal law that strips a convicted official of formal military or law enforcement status and associated privileges.
Orenburg Oblast is a federal region situated in southwestern Russia along the international border with Kazakhstan. Criminal cases involving state corruption and official misconduct in the region are investigated by the Investigative Committee of Russia, the main federal authority responsible for criminal prosecutions.
Penal colony conditions and related corruption cases
Strict-regime penal colonies in the Russian correctional system represent a harsh category of detention facility. These institutions are designated for individuals convicted of serious crimes or repeat offenses, featuring restricted visitor access, rigorous surveillance, and tougher confinement conditions than general-regime colonies.
The conviction in Orenburg comes amidst other corruption investigations involving Russian law enforcement personnel. In a separate case mentioned by authorities, officials in Tatarstan previously detained a deputy head of criminal investigation for bribes amounting to 100 million rubles.
