The Interior Ministry of Russia has announced that it has issued an arrest warrant for Boris Dubrovsky, the former governor of the Chelyabinsk region, as reported by the RBC news website on Thursday. The specific charges against him remain unpublicized.

At 66 years old, Dubrovsky governed the mineral-rich southern Ural region from 2014 until his resignation in March 2019. Just before stepping down, the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia alleged that he had granted a single company lucrative road construction contracts totaling 2.4 billion rubles (approximately $30 million).

In 2019, a notable lawyer informed state media that a criminal investigation was opened concerning Dubrovsky’s tenure as governor, alleging that he faced accusations of power abuse and had subsequently fled to Switzerland.

Dubrovsky characterized the investigation reports as “fake news” and denied any claims of fleeing the country, asserting that he only visited Switzerland occasionally to see his daughter.

With a background in metallurgical engineering, Dubrovsky had formerly held the position of CEO at the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK), one of the largest steel producers in Europe, from 2011 to 2014.