It concerned three samples that border guards tested in combat conditions.
The prosecution has requested 13 years in prison for the former head of the NII-1 service of the FSB of Russia, Colonel Sergey Efimov — the developer of the portable drone suppression complex 'Oberig'. The investigation claims that during the development of the system, prices were deliberately inflated, leading to an overspending of 12 million rubles, reports 'Kommersant'.
A criminal case was initiated in October 2024 by the military investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Balashikha garrison. The case also involves accountant Marina Khalandach — for whom 9 years in prison have been requested. Efimov is charged with particularly large-scale fraud, legalization of criminal proceeds, and abuse of official powers in the execution of a state defense order (part 4 of article 159, 174.1, and article 285.4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), while his accomplice is charged only with fraud.
The investigation believes that Alexey Sokolov from LLC 'Intelferrum' — a supplier of components for the anti-drone system — was also involved in the embezzlement of funds. It is alleged that part of the money was embezzled during the creation of the prototype anti-drone complex — the 'Oblik-RM-22' product, and later on the experimental samples 'Oberig-22' and 'Oberig-23'. In the latter case, it concerned three samples that border guards tested in combat conditions.
The REB 'Oberig' is a suppressor of FPV drones with autonomous battery operation, designed for mobile groups. The device ensures the suppression of quadcopter control within a radius of 50–500 m.
Component supplier Alexey Sokolov fully admitted his guilt, entering into a pre-trial cooperation agreement with the military prosecutor's office. However, Sergey Efimov and Marina Khalandach refused to admit their guilt. They claim that the state defense order was completed on time, and the product 'Oberig-24' performed excellently. Furthermore, evidence was presented in court from border troops, whose representatives stated that such REB systems are necessary for them.
The developers explained the overspending of funds by the fact that some private companies producing components for portable REB refused to supply them to developers due to fear of being included in the European Union's sanctions lists. This is why it was necessary to purchase parts from Alexey Sokolov, also through intermediaries who inflated the price.
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