English translation

EN Page 16 NII Roskonversvzryvtsentr Hexogen Investigation
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Testimony of Nikita Chekulin

Nikita Chekulin, the former acting director of 'Roskonversvzryvtsentr', began assisting the FSB of the Russian Federation because he believed it would aid the investigation into the case, specifically regarding the origin of industrial explosives containing hexogen used during the 1999 terrorist attacks.

Hopes for an objective investigation faded after the criminal case was terminated, leading Chekulin to realize that authorities intended to either prosecute him or eliminate him.

FSB Surveillance and Monitoring

Chekulin claimed that since the summer of 2000, the FSB had been conducting:
* Physical surveillance on the institute's director, Shchukin.
* Wiretapping of the institute's phones.

These measures also revealed that the GUBOP of the MVD of the Russian Federation was collecting information and covertly monitoring Chekulin.

Events in July 2000

In July 2000, Senior Lieutenant Pozdnov from the Department for Combating Economic Crimes of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Central Administrative District of Moscow visited the institute.

  • Context: Pozdnov was working on verification materials based on a statement by Minister of Education Filippov.
  • Action: He arrived to seize documents, allegedly as part of a criminal case already initiated against Chekulin under the fraud article.
  • Chekulin's Account: Chekulin reported that Pozdnov appeared depressed and stated he had received instructions regarding the fraud case from the 9th department of the GUBOP of the MVD of Russia, in the presence of Shchukin. Pozdnov also warned about impending searches, including at the place of residence.

Information Provided to the FSB

While in contact with Colonel Dupuy (Department 'T' of the FSB of the Russian Federation), Chekulin provided information valuable to FSB officers:

  • He helped decode Shchukin's telephone conversations.
  • He viewed video materials from physical surveillance.
  • Chekulin noted that a person named Kotov Vladimir Borisovich frequently appeared in telephone conversations, who arranged an early meeting between Shchukin and the First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kozlov to resolve issues.
  • The wiretapping of Shchukin's conversations allowed for the identification of a planned attack against Chekulin.

Escalation and Threats

The following timeline details the escalating threats against Chekulin:

Date Event Details
August 2, 2000 Assassination Warning An FSB officer informed Chekulin of an impending assassination attempt, based on intercepted telephone conversations. He was advised to leave Moscow urgently and later to contact the FSB reception regarding persecution by GUBOP.
August 17, 2000 Formal Statement Received The statement regarding persecution was received at the reception.
August 17, 2000 Meeting with Minister Chekulin met with Minister Filippov concerning the same issue.
August 18, 2000 Second Evacuation Order FSB officers again advised Chekulin to leave the city.
August 19, 2000 Summons Issued GUBOP operative Shchavinsky issued a summons for Chekulin for interrogation.
August 24, 2000 Criminal Case Initiated The criminal case was officially initiated, meaning the August 19 summons lacked legal grounds.
August 23, 2000 Family Detainment Chekulin's wife and daughter were detained for four hours at a traffic police post in Zhukovka while authorities sought the head of the family. Chekulin was subsequently forced to hide with relatives and colleagues.
September 1, 2000 Meeting at Lubyanka Chekulin was invited to Lubyanka, where Mityaev from Department 'M' informed him that the danger had passed.

According to Nikita's report...

Added 19 May 2026