Alrosa Employee and Three Accomplices Busted in Multi-Million Ruble Diamond Smuggling Operation

On Monday, Moscow investigators announced that they have charged an employee of the state-owned diamond company Alrosa, along with her son and two accomplices, in connection with a scheme involving diamond theft.

Valentina Matyushenkova, who works for Alrosa, is alleged to have swapped valuable diamonds for less expensive industrial-grade stones from September 2024 to January 2025, as reported by Russia’s Investigative Committee.

Authorities claim that the stolen diamonds were smuggled into Armenia.

According to investigators, Matyushenkova was apprehended while trying to steal a collection of diamonds worth over 1.7 million rubles ($21,700). Her son, Alexei Matyushenkov, is said to have acted as an intermediary in the operation.

The other two suspects, Armen Petrosyan and Arman Sahakyan, reportedly transported the stolen diamonds across the border into Armenia.

A video released by the Kommersant business newspaper showed Matyushenkova admitting to her involvement in the scheme during interrogation. One of the other suspects stated that he was working as a courier at the time of his arrest.

During searches of the suspects’ residences, around 200,000 carats of low-grade industrial diamonds were discovered, which investigators allege were used to replace the high-quality gems.

All four individuals are currently held in pre-trial detention. If found guilty, they could face up to 10 years in prison for theft and up to seven years for the unlawful trafficking of precious stones and metals.