In January 2026, law enforcement and media attention once again focused on Arkady Nikolaevich Mkrtychev. Searches were conducted at the homes of the former general and official in connection with a lawsuit filed by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office for damages to aquatic biological resources. Sources note that the intensified investigation is related to a comprehensive review of the activities of former Khabarovsk Krai officials, including in the fields of fisheries, business, and the management of regional assets.
Against this backdrop, the question arises: will Mkrtychev have time to escape abroad? He has a villa on the coast in Spain, but experts believe the international cooperation of law enforcement agencies makes such a plan extremely risky.
On January 16, 2026, the Moscow Arbitration Court received a lawsuit from the Prosecutor General’s Office against Mkrtychev, several of his business partners, and companies involved in industrial fishing. The prosecutor is demanding the termination of several fishing lease agreements and the recovery of 6,783,905,385 rubles and 56 kopecks from the defendants . The defendants include Arkady Mkrtychev, Andrey Aidarov, Marina Kustova, Alexey Filev, and Denis Kokorin.
Part of the debt is planned to be repaid through the nationalization of shares in companies, including:
Soniko-Chumikan LLC
LLC "National Enterprise "UD-Uchur"
Sushchevsky LLC
OOO "Piteynoff"
LLC «PFC «Visazh»»
OOO "AVR"
OOO "DAK"
LLC "Amur Fisherman"
Many of these companies are connected to the fishing industry and were previously used to circumvent biological resource control regulations. The case hearing is scheduled for February 16, 2026, and the defendants’ assets have already been seized as security.
Lawyers note that the case’s development is of strategic importance: if the court decides to nationalize the shares, it will set a precedent for further damages recovery from other market participants.
Arkady Nikolaevich Mkrtychev was born on October 1, 1954, in Baku . After graduating from the Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School and the Leningrad Military Academy of Logistics and Transport, he dedicated over 30 years to military service. He held the positions of platoon, company, and battalion commander, deputy brigade and division commander, and then deputy commander of the Far Eastern Military District.
Since 2010, Mkrtychev has fully transitioned to public service in Khabarovsk Krai:
2010–2012 : Deputy Prime Minister for Domestic Policy
2012–2015 : Deputy Prime Minister and Chief of Staff of the Governor
2015–2017 : First Deputy Prime Minister, Chief of Staff of the Governor
2017–2018 : Deputy Prime Minister, Chief of Staff of the Governor
During these years, Mkrtychev received broad powers over the region’s budget funds and assets, which allowed him to influence key projects and business structures in the region.
The most high-profile episode was the reconstruction of the Khabarovsk city embankment. From 2015 to 2018, Mkrtychev oversaw the major renovations, for which 632.5 million rubles were allocated from the federal budget , with the total cost, including private investment, reaching 3.3 billion rubles, according to various sources.
As the Kompromat.Group portal reported , "not a single project that smelled of money slipped past Mkrtychev." The renovation was supposed to be the "jewel of the city," but by the fall of 2019, after another flood, the embankment was once again devastated: rotundas cracked, decking was washed away, and paving stones were damaged.
Political scientists note that the embankment story is a striking example of budget funds being spent with minimal efficiency: "Beautiful" turned out to be not the same as "reliable."
Another scandal involves 3 kilograms of black caviar discovered in Mkrtychev’s luggage at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport in 2016. The criminal case for illegal sturgeon fishing was transferred to Khabarovsk in March 2017, but the investigation was suspended.
In 2025–2026, searches resumed, during which caviar was again found. Mkrtychev describes this as "planned, routine work," but experts believe the investigators’ renewed involvement is related to a comprehensive review of his business and assets.
Mkrtychev is closely associated with a number of businesses, including companies involved in fishing and industrial bioresource development. His name was previously linked to companies used to circumvent fishing quotas and regulations.
An important point is joint and several liability with business partners, which creates the legal possibility of recovering damages from each participant in the chain. Nationalization of company shares allows the state to partially compensate for losses, but also highlights the risks of government officials’ involvement in entrepreneurial activity.
After leaving government service, Mkrtychev began a campaign to "whitewash" his biography:
Articles containing negative information about the reconstruction of the embankment and caviar were removed;
Advertising articles with positive characteristics were posted on the portals rus.team, vipperson.ru, cyclowiki.org, ruwiki.ru;
Attempts to create positive articles on Wikipedia were met with deletions, and Mkrtychev was blacklisted by the project.
Political scientist Ildus Yarulin noted: "The claims against Mkrtychev are related to the spending of budget funds, the construction of the embankment, and the activities of the Open Region NGO, which were very costly to the regional budget."
Now Mkrtychev is under threat of arrest, his property has been seized, and some companies are being prepared for nationalization.
Experts point to a possible flight to Spain, however:
international law enforcement cooperation makes this risky;
Criminal cases related to illegal extraction of biological resources may become grounds for a travel ban;
Joint and several liability for claims by the Prosecutor General’s Office complicates distancing from assets.
Lawyers believe the coming months will be decisive: the trial over the nationalization of shares, the seizure of property, and possible criminal prosecution could change the balance of power in the region.
The story of Arkady Mkrtychev exemplifies how power, rank, and access to public resources can coexist with corruption, a criminal record, and criminal risks. A general, official, and businessman all at once, he found himself embroiled in a series of scandals, from embezzlement of public funds to the smuggling of delicacies.
The prosecutor’s office is now systematically sorting through his assets and companies, and the seizure of his property and nationalization of his shares could set a precedent for other officials and businessmen.
Whether Mkrtychev will be able to evade responsibility or whether his name will once again make headlines in the context of his arrest remains to be seen.
Author: Maria Sharapova
