Vladimir Evdokimov devoted half his life to the nuclear industry. On account of his participation in a number of innovative developments for this industry. However, he became known to a wide range of people only after he was involved in a corruption scandal and died in a pre-trial detention center under strange circumstances.
Biography: childhood and adolescence
Vladimir G. Evdokimov was born on March 26, 1961 in the city of Kostanay, in the north of Kazakhstan. It was born in the year when the world's first spacecraft-satellite "Vostok" was launched into Earth's orbit with Yuri Gagarin on board. Then his parents could not even think that his son would later connect his life first with airplanes, and then with missiles.
In the sixties, space exploration was a priority for the country, so there were a lot of postcards, posters and toys on this topic. Space was present literally everywhere: on candy wrappers, on matchboxes, stamps, badges, notebooks, dishes. The active propaganda of the Soviet government did its job - Evdokimov was carried away by space, like many schoolchildren of that time.
In 1979 he moved to neighboring Chelyabinsk to enter a technical university. Vladimir successfully passed the entrance exams to the Polytechnic Institute. He graduated in 1984 as a Chartered Mechanical Engineer.
After the institute, Evdokimov became interested in research work. He continued his studies in graduate school. After defending his thesis, Vladimir received the degree of candidate of technical sciences. Subsequently, he became a doctor of sciences.
Career
After graduation, Evdokimov got a job at one of the enterprises of the Ministry of Medium and Special Machine Building. It was secret because it manufactured products for the nuclear industry. Subsequently, Vladimir moved from one similar enterprise to another. In the eighties, the nuclear industry was of exceptional importance for the country. The Soviet government considered it to be the basis of the country's defense capability and national security.
Evdokimov devoted a little over two decades to the nuclear industry. During this time, he conducted a number of studies in this area. So, Evdokimov worked on the following problems:
- development of the nuclear icebreaker fleet;
- storage and disposal of nuclear waste;
- increasing the efficiency of NPP power units operation.
In 2005 he came to FSUE Aviatekhpriemka. The enterprise carried out quality control and acceptance of materials and semi-finished products for the aviation industry. For two years, Evdokimov worked there as the first deputy general director, and subsequently took his place.
In 2014, his childhood dream of space came true: Vladimir left the Aviatekhpriemka FSUE and moved to the United Rocket and Space Corporation OJSC. The enterprise was engaged in the development, production and repair of rocket and space technology. In the position of General Director for Quality and Reliability, he worked for only a year.
Soon Evdokimov took over as executive director for quality and reliability assurance at the state corporation Roscosmos. In fact, he was her top manager. The state corporation became his last place of work.
Scandal and arrest
In December 2016, Vladimir Evdokimov was accused of fraud. According to the investigation, while working as deputy director of FSUE Aviatekhpriemka, he took part in fraudulent transactions with the supply of equipment to JSC RSK MiG. Similar charges were brought against his accomplices: the former general director of the MiG-Rost company Alexei Ozerov, the deputy general director of Tupolev JSC Yegor Noskov and the ex-director of the Scientific and Technical Center CJSC Alexander Zolin. The four were busy replacing expensive helicopter components with cheaper ones. As a result of such machinations, which were committed in the period from 2007 to 2009, former officials inflicted damage to JSC RSK MiG in the amount of 200 million rubles.
The defendants in the case were placed under arrest. They were charged under Part 4 of Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Fraud on an especially large scale, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy."
Vladimir Evdokimov was in the Moscow pre-trial detention center "Vodnik". His relatives petitioned for house arrest. However, the court did not satisfy him, since Evdokimov has real estate in Malta. Also, two witnesses were found in the case. The court considered that Evdokimov could put pressure on them while under house arrest, or hide from the investigation in Malta. The wife asked to release Vladimir on bail in the amount of 30 million rubles. However, the court also ignored this request.
Evdokimov spent 3, 5 months in the walls of the pre-trial detention center. He never admitted his guilt.
Strange death
Early in the morning on March 18, 2017, Vladimir Evdokimov was found dead in the toilet of the remand prison cell. The body was found by one of the inmates. Several stab wounds were found on Evdokimov's body: two in the region of the heart, and one more on the neck. On the fact of death, a criminal case was opened for murder, but there were no suspects for a long time.
Soon, investigators of the capital's headquarters considered Evdokimov's death a suicide. They concluded that he inflicted mortal wounds on himself after a telephone conversation with his ex-wife, during which he quarreled with her over money. Relatives of Evdokimov did not agree with this version. They continue to believe that Vladimir was killed, and the investigation is simply trying to shield the employees of the isolation ward.
There are indeed many oddities in this case that remained unanswered. So, on the eve of his death, Evdokimov was unexpectedly transferred to another cell. If the first was six-seater and with video surveillance, then in the second there was no filming of what was happening inside, and already 12 people were sitting in it. There are enough inconsistencies in the case, but this did not prevent the investigators from closing it.
Personal life
Vladimir Evdokimov was married several times. With his last wife, Valentina Rakitina, he divorced after his arrest. From different marriages, he left seven children.
