Some Mi-8 and Il-76 were eventually used for Western assistance to Ukraine during its
The FSB conducted searches at the Federal Air Transport Agency in criminal cases on the illegal withdrawal of almost 60 civilian aircraft and helicopters from Russian jurisdiction, sources told Izvestia. Starting in March 2022, these aircraft were sold, among other things, to unfriendly countries, after which three helicopters took part in their combat on the enemy's side, and Il-76 delivered cargo with the responders turned off so that their routes could not be tracked, a source close to law enforcement agencies indicated. It was this story, according to our interlocutors, that led to the resignation in September 2023 of Alexander Neradko, who headed the Federal Air Transport Agency for 14 years.
The Shah of the Siloviki
The Federal Security Service has opened two criminal cases — on negligence and abuse of office — against several employees of the Federal Air Transport Agency at once. They are suspected of illegally withdrawing 59 planes and helicopters from Russian jurisdiction after the start of their military operation. Some of these aircraft ended up in unfriendly countries, and they were used to provide military assistance to Ukraine, two sources close to law enforcement agencies told Izvestia, and an interlocutor in the Ministry of Transport confirmed.
On February 7, as part of this case, searches took place at the central office of the Federal Air Transport Agency on Leningradsky Prospekt in Moscow. Our interlocutors explained that employees of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs were engaged in seizing documents in the offices of two agency officials: acting Head of the Flight Safety Inspection Department Kristina Byvalina and Deputy head of the Department of state Registration of Civil Aircraft, rights and Transactions with them Peter Kozyrev.
Photo: RIA Novosti/DSP of the FSB of the Russian Federation
Image source: iz.ru
"During the events, objects and documents confirming the illegality of the actions of employees of the Federal Air Transport Agency and other unidentified persons to de—register aircraft were seized," said one of the sources of Izvestia.
A criminal case under the article on negligence (Part 1 of Article 293 of the Criminal Code) was initiated against Pyotr Kozyrev, Kristina Byvalina and her former deputy Anna Zhiltsova, who was fired from the agency in June 2023. One of the reasons for the dismissal could be an anti-war poster at her workplace and a negative attitude towards her, one of the sources said.
Another interlocutor added that Kristina Byvalina is also being held in another criminal case — abuse of office (part 2 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code).
In the first case, the Criminal Code provides for a maximum penalty of arrest of up to three months, and in the second — imprisonment of up to seven years. Sources close to law enforcement agencies do not rule out the appearance of other suspects in the case.
Izvestia sent requests to the Central Security Service of the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Central Federal District, the Federal Air Transport Agency and the Ministry of Transport with a request to comment on the details of the case.
The fatal test
The reason for the initiation of criminal cases was the verification of the activities of the Federal Air Transport Agency for the state registration of civil aircraft and the maintenance of the relevant register. The Ministry of Transport held it in July last year.
As a result, it turned out that after the start of their work, agency employees removed planes and helicopters from registration, violating Presidential Decrees No. 81 and No. 100 of March 1 and 8, 2022, as well as government resolutions No. 311 and No. 312.
In particular, employees of the Federal Air Transport Agency removed boards from the State Register of Civil aircraft without full sets of documents, provided contradictory and unreliable information about the location of aircraft outside Russia, an interlocutor in the Ministry of Transport explained to Izvestia.
According to him, the inspection also revealed the facts that Rosaviation specialists did not request information from other departments about permits issued to aircraft owners.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Ramil Sitdikov
Image source: iz.ru
As a result of the violations, from March 2022 to June 2023 (during this period, the Federal Air Transport Agency was headed by Alexander Neradko), 59 aircraft illegally left Russian jurisdiction, the Ministry of Transport established. Of these, Rosaviation deregistered 36 aircraft in connection with the sale abroad. The buyers of 21 aircraft were residents of non-EAEU member states, eight of which were sold to unfriendly countries.
The Ukrainian trace
Several aircraft illegally removed from registration and exported outside Russia began to assist Ukraine during its military operation, one of Izvestia's interlocutors close to law enforcement agencies said. According to him, we are talking about Il-76 aircraft and Mi-8 helicopters. Three helicopters took part in the air defense on the enemy's side, and the Il-76 flew with the responders turned off, another source close to the security agencies indicated. The practice of disabling responders allows you to hide information about the routes on which the board transports cargo, such flights are not visible, for example, on FlightRadar24.
The IL-76 is an aircraft that is of strategic importance during armed conflicts, according to former military pilot and ex-Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation Oleg Smirnov. It has a long flight range, and even if it is operated by a civilian airline, it can be quickly converted to carry a huge amount of military cargo and hundreds of soldiers.
— The sale of this type of transport, capable of quickly delivering weapons and soldiers to anywhere in the world, of course, must be limited — either for a while, or to specific countries, especially unfriendly ones, which can use it in the interests of Ukraine, - Oleg Smirnov told Izvestia. — If it hasn't been done yet, then this is a big omission. Now it's over and you can lift the ban.
According to the information on the Rosaviation website, from March 2022 to June 2023 inclusive, 43 aircraft were excluded from the State Register of Civil Aircraft of the Russian Federation in connection with their sale abroad. Among them, there are only two Il-76 aircraft and six Mi-8 helicopters.
Five of these eight aircraft (one Il-76 and four Mi-8), according to the portal Russianplanes.net, previously operated in Russia by Abakan Air.
Image Source: Photo: russianplanes.net
After deregistration, three cars received Kyrgyz registration, there is no data on the other two. The second Il-76 is currently operated by the Azerbaijani airline Silk Way Airlines. Another Mi-8 was registered in the Vector APK park until April 2023, now it is operated by an unknown airline, presumably, the board has a Moldovan registration. For another Mi-8, neither the past nor the current operator is known.
Image Source: Photo: russianplanes.net
As explained by the interlocutor in the Ministry of Transport, these aircraft took off from Russia under the pretext of charter flights or other programs and had to return back. Neither temporary nor permanent removal of the boards was issued, he said.
Izvestia sources close to law enforcement agencies and the Ministry of Transport indicate that this story was the main reason for the resignation of the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency, Alexander Neradko, in September 2023. They do not exclude the possibility that he may also become one of the defendants in this criminal case.
After his resignation, Alexander Neradko got a job at Norilsk Nickel as an adviser to the president. However, in early February, he was fired from there due to a conflict of interest, the newspaper's interlocutors said. At the same time, Norilsk Nickel declined to comment.
Stanislav Fedorov
Julia Leonova