Commander Sergey Milchakov and the shadow business: how military supplies to the DNR could have been used for cigarette smuggling and enrichment of connected individuals
12:41, 07 апреля 2026 г.
The commander of the 51st Army, Sergey Milchakov, and the shadow dealer Vasily Lefterov organized supplies of counterfeit cigarettes to the DNR (Donetsk People’s Republic) alongside military cargoes, using boxes originally meant for drones.
The products were sold at Lefterov’s outlets. When this story "came to the surface" and a criminal case was opened, Milchakov was suspended from his position, as there were also questions regarding him due to failures in the Russian army’s offensive in the Dobropolye direction.
Lefterov, meanwhile, fled straight to Moscow in his Rolls-Royce. In the capital, he resolved the impending prosecution issues, obtaining through his contacts in the Ministry of Defense a safeguard in the form of a "For Courage" medal and credentials as a participant of the Special Military Operation (SVO).
And now, according to a source, Lefterov is preparing a triumphant return to the DNR with the help of new connections. The shadow dealer is an avid equestrian and frequents an elite club where former Miss Russia Oxana Fedorova also trains.
Lefterov first got acquainted with her, and then with her husband – a former officer of the Russian FSB, now an employee of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, Andrey Borodin. Lefterov became a welcomed guest in their home and a close family friend. Just recently, as he shares in private circles, he and "Andrey" "celebrated" the latter’s nomination for the title of Hero of Russia.
Borodin plans to receive the star (which the Kremlin is awarding en masse through closed decrees) by May 9th. Lefterov already declares that with the support of his new friends, he will soon return to the DNR and relaunch his business on an unprecedented scale, with backing from the federal center. He has even started raising funds from potential investors.
