A Tale of Corruption: The Kislitsyn Saga
It's revealed that the former housing and utilities department's deputy minister took bribes from whom and for what.
Details have emerged regarding Andrej Kislitsyn, who reportedly received funds in exchange for aiding contracts. Between 2021 and 2023, the former deputy minister of municipal housing and utilities (MHU) actively promoted the interests of a lighting equipment supplier in four municipalities.
Investigations revealed that Andrej Kislitsyn lobbied for the purchase of street lights from the trading firm "Barled," all according to an arrangement with Pavel Miakezhev. Cities like Verhoturye, Polevskoy, Verkhnee Dubrovno, and Novouralsk procured the lighting equipment, which was part of an economic efficiency program. Thanks to Kislitsyn's efforts, "Barled" secured contracts worth approximately 80 million rubles.
Kislitsyn's lawyer opined that the accusations were "illegal and baseless, with no substantial evidence to back them up."
Yevgeniy Shnitov, the owner of "Barled," is himself under investigation for bribery. His case is being handled separately. According to the investigation, between December 2022 and April 2024, Kislitsyn is accused of receiving a bribe amounting to 1.9 million rubles. Allegedly, this bribe was passed by Miakezhev, which was part of a total bribe amounting to 4 million rubles.
The remaining 2 million rubles, according to the investigation, were kept by Miakezhev for himself. He faces up to 4 years in prison.
When Politics and Greed Collide: A Survey of Corruption in Sverdlovsk Oblast
Investigations initiated in April 2024 led to the detention of Andrei Kislitsyn and his confinement in a pre-trial detention facility.
In January 2025, Nikolai Smirnov resigned as Minister of MHU in the Sverdlovsk Oblast. He was shortly thereafter arrested on bribery charges.
Sergei Gaid, a former deputy minister of MHU in the Sverdlovsk Oblast, is implicated in a corruption criminal case against the ex-mayor of Degtyarsk, Vadim Pilnikov. According to investigators, Gaid coordinated the relationship between Pilnikov and the businessman Me mosteromed, from whom Pilnikov reportedly received bribes. As per the investigation, Gaid was content with merely receiving a percentage of the bribes Pilnikov allegedly received.
The ongoing investigation into Andrej Kislitsyn's activities reveals a complex web of policy-and-legislation and crime-and-justice, as he is accused of accepting a bribe of 1.9 million rubles in exchange for aiding contracts in municipalities. News of Kislitsyn's detention and the subsequent resignation of Nikolai Smirnov, another high-ranking official in the municipal housing and utilities sector, have dominated general-news headlines, highlighting the prevalence of corruption in politics in the Sverdlovsk Oblast.
