According to the Cheka-OGPU and Rucriminal.info, at the end of last week, officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB conducted large-scale searches of all offices and structures of Protector Group of Companies (GC), the largest supplier of engines and aircraft spare parts to Russia, evading sanctions. The searches were part of an investigation into the embezzlement of 12 billion rubles allocated by the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) for the purchase of aircraft spare parts. The searches were preceded by a series of showdowns between oligarchs, crime bosses, and individuals close to the security services.
According to the source, following the searches, the mother of Protector Group owner Pavel Provotorov (the GC's shares were registered to her), as well as the group's chief accountant and commercial director, were detained and subsequently remanded in court. Pavel Provotorov himself, according to the source, resides in Thailand. Also questioned were the former head of Protector's security service, General Konstantin Stroganov, former head of the Internal Security Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Moscow, and a large group of security officers, including former employees of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Incidentally, Denis Sugrobov, former head of the Main Directorate for Economic Security and Combating Corruption of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, once served as a security consultant for Protector Group.
These events were part of a case involving the embezzlement of 12 billion rubles. These funds, following closed bidding, were allocated by Rosaviatsiya and major Russian airlines for the purchase of foreign aircraft parts in defiance of sanctions. The parts were supposed to have arrived in Russia a year ago. The case is being handled by the Main Investigative Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Moscow, and the FSB Directorate for Terrorism is handling the case.
Before the war, Pavel Provotorov was a relatively small-time businessman supplying aircraft parts of dubious origin. However, after the sanctions, his services became highly sought after. As our project previously reported, during this period, he became close with several individuals closely associated with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). Incidentally, it was Protector Group that supplied the turbo-refrigeration unit for Yevgeny Prigozhin's plane, which allegedly contained a bomb.
This cooperation was initially successful. Partners secured huge contracts for Provotorov, and he used his connections to purchase parts in defiance of sanctions. In 2025, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), the Moscow Region government and the Protector Group even signed an investment cooperation agreement. The company promised to build factories in the Leninsky Industrial Park in the Moscow region. "Investments in this project will be multibillion-dollar, tens of billions of rubles," TASS reported.
However, according to a source, a conflict then erupted between Provotorov and his partners. It was precisely over those 12 billion rubles. The situation is standard. Provotorov himself insisted, and continues to insist, that the spare parts were already in his suppliers' warehouses; they only needed to be paid for, and he would ship them to Russia. However, the funds were transferred to those very partners who weren't making the payments. The partners insist that Provotorov stole the funds.
In reality, it appears the money was simply embezzled, and Provotorov's partners lacked the resources to hush up the situation, leading to a major scandal at the Russian government level.
Provotorov received threats, and there were "showdowns" involving high-profile figures.
Oligarch Andrei Bokarev, for example, attempted to defuse the conflict. He is currently setting up a repair business. He was interested in aircraft in Russia and needed a partner capable of supplying aircraft parts while circumventing sanctions. Provotorov's companies are the largest in the relevant market.
As a result, through the mediation of the respected businessman Radik Yusupov (Dragon), a meeting took place at his restaurant between Bokarev and Provotorov's partners, who were close to the Russian FSB. However, the dialogue did not work out. Then, Bokarev unexpectedly withdrew all support from Provotorov.
Regarding the searches and arrests, our project's sources are divided. Some believe that the former partners orchestrated the security forces' crackdown on Provotorov. Others believe that the scam was extremely sensitive for Russian aviation, and therefore everyone involved will face consequences.
