Cyprus court orders extradition to Russia of man accused of embezzling space programme funds

Cyprus’s Court of Appeal has ordered the extradition to Russia of a man wanted by the Russian authorities in connection with the alleged embezzlement of millions of euros allocated to a state space programme.

The man was detained in Cyprus in November 2024. In Russia, he has been charged with large-scale embezzlement of property through fraud and abuse of trust as part of an organised group.

According to the case materials, the matter concerns a Russian space programme to which the state allocated 15.15 billion roubles — more than €160 million. Investigators allege that the man, who held a position at the company implementing the programme, and his accomplices ensured that a particular company was selected without a proper tender process.

Under the contract, 1.32 billion roubles was transferred to that company. About 478 million roubles was spent directly on the project, while approximately 840 million roubles, or about €7.8 million, was allegedly distributed among the group’s members and laundered through financial transactions, according to the Russian authorities.

Initially, the Paphos District Court refused the extradition in November 2025. The court concluded that it had not been proven that the Russian arrest warrant remained in force after January 2021.

The Court of Appeal disagreed with that conclusion. The judges ruled that the warrant itself contains no provision terminating its validity after that date. In addition, the Russian authorities sent an international wanted notice explicitly stating that the warrant had no expiry date.

The Court of Appeal also rejected the man’s objections concerning the contents of the warrant and his claim that the Russian authorities had allegedly failed to provide the Cypriot court with important information about the case.

The ruling was issued on 11 August 2026. The Court of Appeal overturned the first-instance court’s decision and ordered the man’s extradition to the Russian Federation to stand trial. Until he is handed over to the Russian authorities, he must remain in custody and in police detention.