Kovalenko Nikolay

Biography

2026: Sentence - 4.5 years in prison for embezzlement of 592 million rubles from the Ministry of Defense allocated for contracts with the Saratov Radio Instrument Plant, Soyuz-M and Elektropribor

On February 16, 2026, the Moscow Garrison Military Court sentenced retired Rear Admiral Nikolai Kovalenko. He received 4.5 years in prison in the case of embezzlement of almost 600 million rubles from the Ministry of Defense.

We are talking about events that took place in 2013-2017. According to the investigation, Kovalenko and other persons stole budget funds allocated by the Ministry of Defense under four state contracts for the repair of spare parts (spare parts, property and accessories) for anti-aircraft missile systems. These contracts were concluded with the Saratov Radio Instrument Plant, Soyuz-M and the Elektropribor Plant. It is reported that the named companies under the guise of repaired spare parts for 592 million rubles in fact supplied unusable products, which in 2012 were bought in Ukraine for 40 million rubles.

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Фото: iStock

In addition to Kovalenko, the defendants in the case were the former head of the missile and artillery weapons service in the Main Committee NAVY of the Russian Federation, Captain 1st Rank Reserve Vasily Vitchenko, ex-consultant of the Navy Department "" Rosoboronexport Captain 3rd Rank Reserve Andrei Klokotsky, former head of Soyuz-M Zamir Akhmedov, ex-head of the Elektropribor plant Mutalib Emiraliev, former Saratov Radio Instrument Plant director Yevgeny Murashev, as well as the head of the service for the development and operation of missile and artillery weapons of the Naval Shipbuilding Directorate, Captain 1st Rank Reserve Vadim Movchan.

In addition to the prison term, Kovalenko was fined 500 thousand rubles. At the same time, the retired rear admiral was released from the main punishment in the form of imprisonment due to illness. Other defendants were sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 3 to 8 years and fines. At the same time, the court refused to satisfy the civil claim of the Ministry of Defense.^[1]

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