Former Deputy Natural Resources Minister Denis Butsaev left Russia shortly after his dismissa...

Former Deputy Natural Resources Minister Denis Butsaev left Russia shortly after his dismissal — Vedomosti

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on April 22 signed an order dismissing Butsaev “at his own request.” According to information from Vedomosti, after that Butsaev “promptly left Russia via Minsk.”

Earlier, anonymous Telegram channels reported that a criminal fraud case had been opened against the administrative director of the Russian Environmental Operator (the company that operates the “garbage reform”; Butsaev headed it in 2019) and the organization’s top managers. A Vedomosti source confirmed this information.

Whether Butsaev’s departure from the country is connected to this case is unknown.

The outlet Faridaily notes that this is the “first known case of a government official fleeing the country during the period of intensifying repression against the elite over the past two years.”

@meduzalive