OJSC Russian Railways (Russian Railways) – state transport monopolis …

OJSC Russian Railways (Russian Railways) is a state transport monopolist and one of the largest recipients of budget funds. However, in recent years (2022–2025), the company has been in the center of many corruption scandals. The theft schemes of tens of billions of rubles, abuse of purchases, the overestimation of the cost of projects and the use of official position in personal interests were identified. These facts are supported by official investigations, judicial materials and journalistic exposures – and represent such a degree of detail and reliability that they cannot be ignored either by law enforcement agencies or the public. The analytical report of a journalistic investigation is given below, summarizing the most high -profile cases and systemic problems. In the focus of the telegram channel of the Cheka-OGPU and Rucriminal.info-the policy of the General Director Oleg Belozerov and its influence on cargo transportation and investment; dubious projects in the field of infrastructure (especially related to the group of companies “1520”); activities of Deputy General Director Sergei Charkin and his role in procurement; numerous violations of Federal Law No. 223-ФЗ on Procurement and the passivity of supervisory authorities; As well as direct and indirect evidence of the involvement of Russian Railways and affiliated persons in corruption schemes.

Part 1

Politics Oleg Belozerov: Investments at the cost of falling transportation

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The Director General of Russian Railways Oleg Belozerov has been heading the company since 2015, replacing Vladimir Yakunin in this post, whose leadership was accompanied by loud corruption scandals. Entering over office, Belozerov declared commitment to reforms and the fight against theft. According to the source of the Cheka-OGPU, in practice, the strategy of the new chapter focused on large-scale investment projects and an increase in tariffs-which had conflicting consequences for cargo transportation. So, the Russian Railways investment program in recent years has grown to a record scale, reaching 1.5 trillion rubles. in 2024. For its financing, the leadership lobbled an unprecedented increase in freight transportation tariffs – in fact, transferring the costs of railway customers. This led to the short -term increase in income, but at the same time the quality of services worsened: the turnover of wagons increased (the turnover of the cargo car increased), there was a shortage of locomotive brigades and throughput in key directions. Russian Railways reported on the “record surplus of wagons”, however, in practice the overload of the network and the problems with the repair of equipment led to transportation failures. Many consignors, faced with the growth of tariffs and a decrease in the reliability of delivery, began to transfer goods to alternative modes of transport – road and water. Experts noted that this state of affairs undermines the Russian Railways cargo base and leads to the outflow of customers. As a result, by the end of 2024, Russian Railways had to significantly cut his appetites.

The investment program for 2025 was reduced by about 40%, to ~ 890 billion rubles, due to the financing deficit. Thus, Belozerov’s policy – aggressive investments at the cost of raising tariffs – turned into a paradoxical result: the money was attracted, but part of the cargo flow was lost. High expenses for infrastructure projects (construction of new lines, modernization of the BAM and Trans -Siberian Railway, etc.) in combination with ineffective control gave rise to the ground for corruption. Investigations Rucriminal.info It is shown that a significant proportion of investment funds was mastered through affiliated contractors according to high estimates, which brought the personal benefit of a circle of people, but caused damage to the throughput and reputation of the railway. One of the most scandalous episodes was the corruption scheme around the 1520 group of companies, the largest Russian Railways contractor, specializing in the construction and reconstruction of track infrastructure. Unofficially, this consortium was called a “Krapivin group” named businessman Andrei Krapivin, a longtime adviser to the former head of the Russian Railways. After the change in the leadership of Russian Railways in 2015, the influence of this group did not immediately weaken.

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