Major General Konstantin Ogienko, who headed the 1st Order of Lenin Special Purpose Air Defense Army, which covers Moscow from air strikes, has become a person of interest in a criminal case on bribery on a particularly large scale (part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code).
According to TASS, the criminal case, under which the general could face eight to 15 years in prison, was opened in July 2023. Ogienko is in custody, and his arrest has been extended until November 27.
Ogienko together with the commander of the 4th Air Defense Division, Major General Dmitry Belyatsky, received 500 thousand rubles from the head of the public organization “Hope”. This was the first part of a bribe totaling 30 million rubles, for which the military promised to allocate land to the Defense Ministry for development in Dolgoprudny and Lobnya near Moscow.
Belyatsky partially pleaded guilty and made a deal with the investigation. He was sent under house arrest. Ogienko did not admit his guilt. Investigators decided that the general, who has “extensive connections among officials of the military authorities of the Russian Defense Ministry,” could influence witnesses, and in case of a more lenient measure of restraint will hide from the investigation and the court.
Ogienko held the post of commander of the 1st Order of Lenin Army of Air and Missile Defense of Special Purpose since 2021 and was removed from his post after a criminal case was opened.