Retired Counter Admiral Kovalenko Sentenced to 4.5 Years for Embezzling $8 Million from Russian Defense Ministry

© Изображение сгенерировал ИИ

Moscow Garrison Military Court found retired Russian Navy counter admiral Nikolai Kovalenko guilty of organizing and participating in the theft of 592 million rubles ($7.6 million) from the Russian Ministry of Defense. This information was reported by TASS.

Kovalenko was sentenced to 4.5 years in a general regime penal colony and fined 500,000 rubles ($6,400). However, he was released from serving the main sentence due to health issues.

Other co-conspirators received prison terms ranging from 3 to 8 years, fines between 400,000 and 800,000 rubles ($5,100 to $10,200), and were stripped of their military ranks.

According to the investigation and court findings, between 2013 and 2017, Kovalenko and his accomplices embezzled 592 million rubles allocated from the state budget for the implementation of four state contracts for repairing spare parts, equipment, and accessories (ZIP) for anti-aircraft missile systems. These contracts were signed with Saratov Radio Equipment Plant "Soyuz-M" and "Elektropribor" factory. Unusable ZIP, purchased from Ukraine for 40 million rubles ($520,000), were returned to the Ministry of Defense as repaired items.