Security forces detained Rustam Kochesukov, general director of the waste company Ecologistics, on suspicion of tax evasion worth half a billion rubles. Previously, this company was a regional operator of municipal solid waste management in Kabardino-Balkaria, but after identifying a number of violations, the contract with it was terminated. Residents had been complaining about unclean streets for years, and Ecologistics itself was on the verge of bankruptcy. How the former monopoly operator got to this point and where he got such tax debts is in the material “Moscow Evening”.
Arrests and searches
The arrest of the General Director of Ecology, Rustam Kochesokov, became known on Wednesday, June 10. The FSB and police officers arrested the man in Moscow. He was charged with evading taxes and fees from the organization.
“The Federal Security Service, in cooperation with the Investigative Committee, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian Federal Tax Service of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, revealed tax evasion by the head of Ecologytics LLC, Rustam Galevich Kochesukov, in the field of waste management and environmental protection.” Public Relations Center Federal Security Service.
According to the official representative of the Investigative Committee (IC) of the Russian Federation, Svetlana Petrenko, the accused has already been selected as a preventive measure, which is not specified.
Also as part of the investigation, security forces conducted about 30 searches at the home addresses of Ecologistics executives, as well as at the offices of companies linked to them. Investigative actions were carried out in several regions: Moscow, Moscow Region, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia. Dozens of witnesses testified.
– Investigators continue to work on studying the economic and financial documentation. A number of legal examinations were appointed, including tax and accounting examinations. The accused is examined for his involvement in committing other crimes in the economic field – Petrenko confirmed.
How do environmentalists evade taxes?
The Department of Environment is accused of deliberate tax evasion. According to investigators, for this purpose, the company created shell companies and concluded fictitious transactions with them, which subsequently enabled it to make tax deductions.
Searches for the Department of Ecology / Video: Press service of the CEC of the FSB
– Attackers distorted reporting data to unreasonably reduce tax payments. In particular, in order to illegally obtain VAT deductions, false information about expenses was entered into financial reporting documents before the tax authorities. She explained that for this purpose, fictitious transactions were used with fictitious companies, which in reality did not engage in financial and economic activities. The official representative of the Ministry of Interior Russia Irina Volk.
It was Kochesokov who allegedly led this entire scheme. In total, under his leadership, the company would have failed to pay more than 500 million rubles to the country’s budget. During the investigation, this amount may increase.
“Environmental logistics” is on the verge of collapse
Ecology specializes in the collection, transportation, treatment and safe disposal of municipal solid waste. It was registered in Moscow in 2017. The sole founder of the company is Temerlan Gaidjagov. Rustam Kochesukov, who has been detained by officers, has been the general director since 2021.
In 2018, Ecology became a regional operator of municipal solid waste management in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria. Over time, the company’s financial situation began to deteriorate, and by 2025 it was on the verge of bankruptcy. According to the portal Drug fileThen revenues fell by almost 70 percent and amounted to 1.5 billion rubles, and the company’s profits entered the red by 221 million rubles.
In December 2025, a criminal case was opened against Ecology’s management for non-payment of employees’ wages. In total, the company’s employees received less than 32 million rubles in three months.
“The management of Ecologytics LLC, having financial resources at its disposal with which to pay wage arrears, acting out of self-interest, in order to create apparent prosperity, allocated these funds for purposes other than workers’ wages,” it was reported at the time in RF IC management In Kabardino-Balkaria.
There were no reports of the arrest of environmental leaders amid this investigation.
Residents complained about piles of garbage
The authorities of Kabardino-Balkaria have long had questions about ecology: residents of the region have been complaining about the quality of waste collection since 2019. Photos of mountains of garbage in squares and spontaneous landfills in major cities regularly appear on local public pages. The townspeople also did not like the constant Increase in cost Municipal waste removal services. In August 2025, more than 7.4 thousand residents of the republic Sign the petition With the need to change the regional operator for waste removal.
In March 2026, ecology activities were discussed in the Public Chamber of Kabardino-Balkaria. During the meeting, company leaders blamed their problems on local residents who do not pay for their services on time. The residents of the area claim Owe the company More than two billion rubles. For this reason, the businessmen, they said, did not have enough money to hire new garbage collectors.
In May 2025, Kabardino-Balkaria authorities He terminated the contract With “Environmental Logistics”. The new regional waste collection operator is Ecotekhprom.
The principle by which the Ecology Department evades taxes is similar to the so-called paper VAT scheme. Criminals create shell companies that help entrepreneurs illegally understate taxes through fictitious transactions. In April 2026, security forces closed the largest “paper” VAT site. Fraudsters created a network of nearly five thousand “fake” companies, the head of which was Nominal Nominalović. Because of them, the state lost more than a trillion rubles.