Activities of NII "Roskonversvzryvtsentr"

Institutional Background and Facilities

• Personnel: Vladimir Rushailo received the rank of colonel-general.
• Premises: In December 1997, General Nelezin provided the "Roskonversvzryvtsentr" Research Institute (NII) with premises adjacent to the FSB building complex in Moscow, located at Bolshaya Lubyanka St., 18, building 3.
• Utilities: The institute did not pay for utility and maintenance. International and long-distance telephone calls were covered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) of the Russian Federation, as the institute was assigned several MVD switchboard numbers (e.g., 222-4961, 222-3612).

Unauthorized Explosives Trade

The institute traded in explosives both within Russia and internationally without the necessary permits.

Regulatory Review

A review of the documents regulating the NII's activities revealed no authorization for the sale of explosives:

• Government Order of the RSFSR (October 24, 1991, No. 1114-r): This order, which created "Roskonversvzryvtsentr," did not grant the right to engage in such trade.
• Certificate of State Accreditation (July 27, 1999, No. 1536): Issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Russia, this certificate made no mention of explosives trade.
• License of the Ministry of Economy of Russia (May 21, 1999, No. U-0071): This license permitted the disposal of conventional ammunition for creating industrial explosive materials and technologies, but did not specify the right to sell hexogen.
• Gostekhnadzor License (September 17, 1999, 00VR No. 010742): This license authorized activities for developing and testing products from industrial explosive materials and defining technical requirements, but it also did not specify the right to sell hexogen.

Conclusion: In none of these official documents was the trade in explosives permitted.

Alleged Operations

• According to Nikita Chekulin, the former acting head of the institute, this trade did occur.
• To move explosives across Russia, special permits were obtained from the MVD, the body theoretically responsible for supervising and suppressing illegal turnover.
• Under the leadership of Yu. G. Shchukin, "Roskonversvzryvtsentr" supplied explosives through:
  • Direct purchase and sale agreements.
  • Veiled agreements disguised as "transfer of scientific and technical products."
• Invoicing Examples:
  • In the "name of goods" column, only the names of explosives were listed.
  • Payment orders included descriptions such as: "payment for TNT," "payment for ballistic blocks," and "payment for granipor."
• Export Violations: Exporting explosives abroad violated legislation concerning the licensing of foreign economic activity and the procedures established by the Government of Russia.

State Oversight Concerns

It was emphasized that control over explosives originating from a state NII under these circumstances was unlikely. The turnover of these extremely dangerous materials, usable by both criminal elements and terrorists, effectively became barely noticeable to the state. This was partially confirmed by an audit conducted by a special commission of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation.

Audit Results

The commission, established by order of Minister V. M. Filippov (No. 70 dated May 25, 2000), reviewed the institute's activities for the period from January 1, 1998, to May 25, 2000.