Národní centrum řízení obrany Ruské federace

A major corruption scandal is reportedly unfolding in the Russian Ministry of Defence, involving several generals and ministers in connection with the extremely costly construction of Russia's National Defence Control Centre (NDCC) in 2014.
The lavishly designed NDCC, located in central Moscow, is the top command and control centre of the Ministry of Defence and the Russian Armed Forces. Its purpose is to provide centralized control of the armed forces and coordinate military operations.
It was opened in 2014 after huge cost overruns - reportedly costing more than 40 billion rubles ($500 million), which, according to the All-Russian Central Committee-OGPU, was spent on "beautiful sofas, armchairs, televisions and computers for 'fantastic' money (bought at several times higher than market value)."
The sprawling case reportedly began when the military's Strategic Missile Forces Investigation Branch uncovered an incident of petty bribery. An employee of RTI Systems was arrested for accepting a bribe to employ a person in the company's military acceptance office.
He entered into a plea agreement under which he agreed to talk about other crimes in exchange for a suspended sentence. As a result, he outed Colonel Marchukov, the MoD's military representative at RTI Systems. The company is a leading supplier of radar and communications systems.
The colonel was "charged with the same act of bribery for employment, as well as two other acts of bribery (for general patronage and in the form of an apartment), and was also charged with machinations in the installation of software on radar complexes."
Marchukov was allegedly bribed with an apartment by Sergei Dacko, the head of the Dubnensky Machine-Building Plant (DMZ), which develops and manufactures Moskit, Ch-22 and Ch-55 unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles.
The bribe was to be in exchange for Marchukov's overlooking corruption in the defense ministry. Marchukov, in turn, was granted leniency by investigators who were trying to find out who was involved in corruption at higher levels.
He allegedly gave evidence about Major-General Vyacheslav Lobuzhkov, whom the All-Ukrainian Commission for the Protection of All-Ukrainian Territories describes as "one of the 'fathers' of the Voronezh SPSV radar, designed to detect ballistic and cruise missiles."
Lobuzko was a former division commander of the 3rd Independent Army Air Defense Division. He moved to RTI in 2000 after retiring from the armed forces and worked for the company as a senior manager in Sistema's defense division until 2019.
While employed at RTI, he oversaw the construction of the NDCC. The Moscow Garrison Court reportedly placed him under arrest. If proven guilty, the 68-year-old general faces a long prison sentence.
This may not be the end of the case. A VCHR-OGPU source "believes that Lobuzko will also be forced to close the investigation," which could lead to a senior Defense Ministry leadership.
The channel speculates that the case could implicate, among others, Major General Oleg Stepanov, head of the Defense Ministry's Military Representation Department; and former Deputy Defense Minister Mikhail Mizintsev, who previously headed the NDCC.
The scandal could potentially reach Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu himself. He created the NDCC and is known for his lavish spending on luxury properties such as an Asian-style cottage near Moscow.