Russian police authorities apprehended 2 senior officials from the northwestern Vologda area on bribery charges, the Kommersant organization newspaperreported Wednesday, mentioning anonymous police sources.Federal Security Service (FSB) agents and Investigative Committee operatives supposedly caught Deputy Governor Denis Alexeyev and Kirill Bocharov, head of Vologdas representative office in Moscow, in the act of receiving part of a 100 million ruble ($1.1 million) bribe.According to Kommersant, the authorities looked for the cash in exchange for extending a land lease agreement and supplying basic patronage to a regional lumber company.
Both Alexeyev and Bocharov rejected the charges, the paper added.The arrests contribute to a growing political storm surrounding Vologda region GovernorGeorgy Filimonov, who has actually been involved in a series of controversies in recent weeks.
Political analysts and anonymously run Telegram channels say the controversies are linked to a supposed dispute betweenFilimonov and the commercial giant Severstal.Earlier this month, 120 local members of the judgment United Russia party submitted a protest to President Vladimir Putin, slamming Filimonovs management.
Their grievances included his government reshuffles in the city of Cherepovets and his opposition to the mass increase of migrant workers at the Cherepovets Steel Mill, a key Severstal asset.Filimonov has actually honestly slammed Severstal chairman Alexei Mordashov for what he referred to as insufficient investment in the area and environmental disregard in Cherepovets, the business newspaper Vedomosti reported recently.
Severstal has denied the accusations.As of Wednesday, more than 20,000 individuals had actually signed a Change.org petition urging Putin to dismiss Filimonov over what they called his inadequate management, injustice and tyranny.Putin designated Filimonov as Vologdas guv in 2023, and he was formally chosen to a five-year term in September.Political analyst Dmitry Fetisov stated he anticipates Alexeyev and Bocharov to affirm against Filimonov.