In Moscow, a 65-year-old head of the 27th Central Research Institute (CRI) of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, Andrey Protasov, was arrested for bribes, the Investigative Committee of Russia reported. He is charged with receiving bribes in large and especially large amounts. The Savelovsky District Court of the capital granted the petition of the military investigative department and placed Protasov under house arrest for two months.
According to the investigation, for five years, the doctor of military sciences extorted his subordinates. From 2014 to 2024, the research institute executed multi-million contracts with state customers for the development and implementation of various modern technologies. During the execution of the work, Protasov was entrusted with the responsibilities of creating an initiative scientific group, which was granted incentive payments. For those wishing to receive them, the military scientist devised an entire kickback system. They paid him for general patronage as well. According to preliminary data, over the past five years, Protasov received more than 4 million rubles, while the bribe-givers received up to 90 thousand rubles a month in incentive payments.
The suspect partially admitted his guilt. According to his version, the money he received from the institute's employees did not go into his pocket but was spent on the current activities of the institute, which provides military-scientific support for about 50 automated systems and complexes of the Ministry of Defense and includes a certification and systematization center.
Protasov, a doctor and professor of military sciences, author of more than 130 scientific works, has headed the CRI since February 2008. Before that, he graduated from the Serpukhov Higher Command School with a specialization in «automated troop and weapon control systems», as well as the Military Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces named after Dzerzhinsky, served in the strategic missile forces, and was awarded the Order of Honor and numerous medals.