Support The Moscow Times!

Administration Chief of Russia's 'Star City' Detained on Extortion Suspicions

Maxim Stulov / Vedomosti

The administration chief of Russia's “Star City” — the cosmonauts' training center outside Moscow — has been detained on suspicion of extortion, the Interior Ministry said.

Alexander Shchipanov — the local administration chief of the town known in Russian as Zvyozdny Gorodok, or “Star City” — is accused of extorting a bribe of 3 million rubles ($48,500) from an entrepreneur, and was detained after the alleged first payment, 250,000 rubles, changed hands, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Yelena Alexeyeva said Sunday, the state-run TASS news agency reported.

The money was allegedly demanded in exchange for granting the entrepreneur a contract for the renovation of a shopping center, Alexeyeva was quoted as saying.

The chief inspector of the local administration's security and mobilization department was also detained during the Friday police operation, Alexeyeva said, TASS reported.

“Star City” is a closed town, with a population of only a few thousand, located just beyond Moscow's boundaries to the northeast of the capital. It is home to the Soviet Union's first cosmonaut training site — which continues to be operated by Russia today — and adjacent housing blocks.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more