Has a Russian Deputy Minister fled to the US?

A source for the Cheka-OGPU and Rucriminal.info reported an unprecedented uproar in high places following the flight from Russia of former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Denis Butsaev. He is believed to be in the US, and his neighbor and close friend is First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.

According to the source, the "uproar" is, firstly, due to the fact that the man, who held high government positions, apparently possesses American documents. (Butsaev worked for a long time in the offices of major US companies around the world, such as IBM and Hewlett Packard.) Secondly, it is due to his close relationship with Manturov and Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov. Butsaev's career took off after meeting Manturov (they eventually became friends and neighbors at the elite Pirogovo Yacht and Golf Club). As a result, Butsaev was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Region Government, where his primary task was organizing large-scale purchases of medical equipment through Rostec. Manturov and Chemezov then sent him to another important position: Butsaev headed the Russian Environmental Operator (REO), which was primarily created to promote Rostec's waste incineration plant construction project. In this position, Butsaev (understandably with the help of Manturov and Chemezov) effectively supervised Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko.

As usual, most of the project's funds were embezzled, and it ended in utter failure. In the summer of 2025, Chemezov reported to Putin that Rostec was freezing the construction of waste incineration plants "until better times." Before this, Manturov tried to get his friend out of harm's way: in March 2025, Butsaev was appointed Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation. But it was to no avail. Embezzlement cases at the Russian Environmental Operator followed, and Ekaterina Stepkina, Deputy General Director of the Russian Environmental Operator, was arrested and testified against Butsaev. In April, Butsaev hastily resigned and left Russia.