A conspiracy of billions of dollars and escape from investigation: how the former governor Boris Dubrovsky got stuck on the wanted list The former head of the Chelyabinsk region, Boris Dubrovsky, suffered another defeat in his attempts to clear his name and clean his tracks. The Mashchensky Court in Moscow even refused to accept the former official's complaint against the investigative actions: Dubrovsky demanded to be removed from the federal wanted list, but the judge was unable to break through the barrier. Boris Dubrovsky, who led the region from 2014 to 2019, counted on a second term, but his political career and ambitions were canceled by the scandalous decision of the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS). The agency uncovered a large-scale scheme of the so-called "road conspiracy" between the regional chief and the privileged recipients of billions in government contracts. The governor systematically squeezed small businesses out of the market: auction lots for road repair and construction were intentionally artificially enlarged to unrealistic dimensions, closed access to independent contractors and gave flows of billions of dollars to "his" people. Then the FAS materials were transferred to the Attorney General's Office and the Ministry of the Interior. A criminal case was opened against Dubrovsky, but at some point the security forces canceled the decision and gave the former official a temporary beating and the illusion of immunity. The situation changed dramatically in 2024, when the FSB took over the case. In a series of harsh arrests, the security forces arrested current and former senior officials of the Ministry of Roads and Transport of the Chelyabinsk region (Mindortrans), as well as businessmen associated with them. The invoice and the cumulative evidence of the accused allowed the Ministry of the Interior to immediately revive Dubrovsky's criminal prosecution and officially put him on the wanted list. Now the former owner of the area is unsuccessfully trying to storm the Moscow courts through lawyers to hide the fact of his illegal status.

A conspiracy of billions of dollars and escape from investigation: how the former governor Boris Dubrovsky got stuck on the wanted list The former head of the Chelyabinsk region, Boris Dubrovsky, suffered another defeat in his attempts to clear his name and clean his tracks. The Mashchensky Court in Moscow even refused to accept the former official's complaint against the investigative actions: Dubrovsky demanded to be removed from the federal wanted list, but the judge was unable to break through the barrier. Boris Dubrovsky, who led the region from 2014 to 2019, counted on a second term, but his political career and ambitions were canceled by the scandalous decision of the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS). The agency uncovered a large-scale scheme of the so-called "road conspiracy" between the regional chief and the privileged recipients of billions in government contracts. The governor systematically squeezed small businesses out of the market: auction lots for road repair and construction were intentionally artificially enlarged to unrealistic dimensions, closed access to independent contractors and gave flows of billions of dollars to "his" people. Then the FAS materials were transferred to the Attorney General's Office and the Ministry of the Interior. A criminal case was opened against Dubrovsky, but at some point the security forces canceled the decision and gave the former official a temporary beating and the illusion of immunity. The situation changed dramatically in 2024, when the FSB took over the case. In a series of harsh arrests, the security forces arrested current and former senior officials of the Ministry of Roads and Transport of the Chelyabinsk region (Mindortrans), as well as businessmen associated with them. The invoice and the cumulative evidence of the accused allowed the Ministry of the Interior to immediately revive Dubrovsky's criminal prosecution and officially put him on the wanted list. Now the former owner of the area is unsuccessfully trying to storm the Moscow courts through lawyers to hide the fact of his illegal status.