The senior official who spearheaded the Russian government’s wave of private asset seizures since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine has been quietly returned to his job after Prosecutor General Alexander Gutsan reportedly dismissed him last month, the news outlet Fontanka reported Wednesday, citing a source familiar with the matter.
The official, Sergei Bochkarev, headed the Civil and Judicial Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office. Under his direction, the government nationalized around 6.5 trillion rubles ($81.45 billion) in private assets since 2022.
Bochkarev’s most high-profile targets included Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport, food manufacturer Makfa and gold miner YUGK.
In July, sources told the newspaper Kommersant that Gutsan dismissed Bochkarev after the chief prosecutor had publicly criticized him earlier for the mismanagement of confiscated properties, which he warned was undermining efforts to return them to the market.
However, earlier this week, several Telegram channels reported that Bochkarev had been returned to his post at the Prosecutor General’s Office. A source familiar with the situation confirmed the reinstatement to Fontanka, an online news outlet based in St. Petersburg.
