Denis Bucayev, until recently deputy minister in the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, was to go to the USA. This information was provided by independent journalist Farida Rustamova.
The background to these events is the threat of criminal proceedings for fraud. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin officially dismissed Bucaev from office on April 22which is confirmed by government documents. Earlier, sources in the Vedomosti daily reported that Putin's fired official left Russia via neighboring Belarus after leaving his job. However, two government officials told Rustamova that Bucayev left Russia on April 18.
Mikhail Mishustin, Prime Minister of Russia, during the Caucasus Investment Forum. Mineralne Wod,, April 30, 2026EPA/ALEXANDER MIRIDONOV / SPUTNIK / GOVERNMENT PRESS SERVICE / POOL / PAP
According to two government sources, Bucayev left via Minsk, Belarus, and Tbilisi, Georgia, to the United States. The former deputy minister is not currently on Western sanctions lists. — Bucayev was lucky to have friends who warned him early enough, he quotes one of the sources. Before Bucayev joined the ministry in 2025, he was president of Russian Environmental Operator. This state-owned enterprise was established in 2019 to coordinate national waste management reforms.
Both “Vedomosti” and Rustamova report that Russian law enforcement agencies are investigating the company's administrative director and two other high-ranking managers for fraud. In this case, Bucayev is expected to have the status of a suspect, however it is not yet clear whether he has been officially charged. “Butsaev's departure is the first known case of an active official of this level fleeing the country,” Rustamova wrote. She also added that this was the first official since 2024 who avoided criminal proceedings by going abroad.
