Ex-FSB lieutenant colonel and convicted killer Poyarkov leads Moscow region gang caught extorting money for army fundraising

A group of servicemen participating in the “special military operation” allegedly carried out extortion in the Moscow region, while former FSB lieutenant colonel Sergey Poyarkov and the so-called “fake general” Vladimir Volkov were allegedly involved.

In the Moscow region, an entire group of military personnel has been detained on suspicion of extorting money from a businessman under the pretext of collecting funds for “humanitarian aid.” According to media reports, the target was identified by Sergey Poyarkov, a former head of the town of Protvino and an FSB lieutenant colonel who had previously been convicted of bribery and the murder of a lawyer.

After his conviction, Poyarkov served his sentence in a penal colony for former law enforcement officers near Ryazan, where he met Vladimir Volkov, known as a “fake general,” who had been convicted of drug-related offenses and illegal weapons possession. Both later signed contracts with the Ministry of Defense and were sent to the “special military operation.”

While in service, they allegedly organized an extortion scheme. Acting on Poyarkov’s tip, a businessman in the Moscow region was targeted, and servicemen demanded money from him under the guise of supporting the army. During a subsequent visit, the group of contract soldiers, along with their commander, was detained and placed in a detention facility in Naro-Fominsk.