Popov Oleg Vladislavovich

Biography

2025

Request of the prosecutor's office - 5 years in prison in the case of embezzlement of 120 million rubles

The prosecutor's office requested 5 years in prison for the top manager of the Complink IT group Oleg Popov in the case of embezzlement of 120 million rubles during the construction of boiler houses in Kotovsk, Tambov Region. The Vedomosti newspaper wrote about this at the end of August 2025 with reference to lawyer Igor Simonov, representing Popov's interests.

The publication reminds that in the framework of the criminal case, which was initiated in 2020, two more top managers of the structures of "Complink" were charged - Yuri Danilyuk and pensioner Yuri Chernyshev (later died in a pre-trial detention center), as well as the former vice-governor of the Tambov region for housing and communal services Igor Kulakov. In 2024, Danilyuk and Kulakov filed applications for sending to the special operation zone, after which their criminal cases were suspended. Thus, in this case, Oleg Popov remained the only one in the dock.

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Фото: Freepik

According to the investigation, the defendants in the case organized a conspiracy and stole more than 119 million rubles of budget funds during the construction of six block-modular boiler houses in Kotovsk, erected to replace the dilapidated CHPP. The total cost of the project was 500 million rubles, of which 300 million rubles were allocated by the Fund for Assistance to Housing and Communal Services Reform, and the contractor invested the rest.

Igor Simonov claims that the boiler houses were transferred to the company in concession, all of them function and provide the city with heat. According to the lawyer, the criminal case is based not on the claims of the customer, but on the calculations of experts. MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS The defense said that Popov himself did not make independent decisions and followed the orders of the leadership.

During the interrogation, a representative of the fund also spoke in court, with whom an agreement was concluded for the construction of boiler houses. He stated that the claims fund does not have and does not consider itself a victim. No civil lawsuits have been filed.^[1]

Sentence - 4.5 years in prison for fraud worth 120 million rubles

In early September 2025, the Lefortovo Court of Moscow convicted Oleg Popov, top manager of the Complink group of companies. He was found guilty of fraud in the amount of 120 million rubles as part of a project to build boiler houses in the Tambov region and sentenced to 4.5 years in prison in a general regime colony. However, as reported by TASS, Popov was released in the courtroom in connection with the offset of the time of pre-trial detention in the pre-trial detention center

During the court debate, the state prosecution petitioned for the head of Complink and the founder of Energophyte to be sentenced to five years in prison. Oleg Popov pleaded not guilty in court.

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Фото: Open data portal of courts of general jurisdiction of Moscow

According to the agency, criminal proceedings were initiated in 2020. In addition to Oleg Popov, other top managers of Complink, Yuri Danilyuk and Yuri Chernyshev, as well as the ex-vice-governor of the Tambov region, who oversaw housing and communal services, Igor Kulakov, are accused in the case.

As established by the investigation, the participants in the criminal scheme, acting by conspiracy, appropriated over 119 million rubles of budget allocations. The funds were allocated for the construction of six modular boiler houses in Kotovsk, which were built to replace the outdated heat and power plant. The total budget of the project was estimated at 500 million rubles, of which 300 million rubles were provided by the Fund for Assistance to the Reform of Housing and Communal Services, and the rest was invested by the contractor.

Lawyer Igor Simonov, in a conversation with Kommersant, said that the case file did not contain facts indicating the involvement of his client in the crime incriminated to him, he did not admit guilt.

We insist on innocence, I believe that the crime event itself was not. The cost of the order was agreed with the customer, a state examination was also carried out, which established that the cost of the work was set correctly, - said Simonov.[2]

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