Rostelecom executive overseeing critical Russian infrastructure vacations freely in EU member Latvia

26 July 2026 , 08:52

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Rostelecom executive overseeing critical Russian infrastructure vacations freely in EU member Latvia

Sergey Bochkarev, a member of the board of directors of RTK-TsOD, a subsidiary of Rostelecom, shares photos of his serene vacation on the Baltic coast on social media.

Sergey Bochkarev graduated from the Kiev Higher Military School of Communications, received a degree in economics, completed postgraduate studies at St. Petersburg State University in Finance and Credit, and holds a PhD in economics.

Since 2014, as Deputy General Director of JSC National Payment Card System (NSPK), Bochkarev was responsible for the creation and development of the national payment system Mir.

Since February 2022, Bochkarev has headed RTK-TsOD, a structure that consolidated 24 legal entities (including MSK-IX and DataLine) and managed critical digital infrastructure, data centers, cloud services, and a number of government information systems. He later joined the company’s board of directors.

Quiet Luxury Resort

While the parent company, PJSC Rostelecom, is under sanctions and the company’s board of directors is headed by Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, a member of the board of directors of RTK-TsOD prefers to spend his vacations not at resorts in the Krasnodar Territory or Altai.

A series of new photos has appeared on the top manager’s personal Instagram account (@bochkarev_sergei). The photographs feature the usual trappings of a wealthy tourist’s summer vacation. In one of the shots, Sergey Bochkarev poses against the backdrop of a Jurmala sunset, wearing a white T-shirt, cargo shorts, and sneakers.

Another photo shows the head of a strategically important IT company riding a horse during a country ride.

The post is accompanied by the relaxing track Sundowner Chill and the caption: “Summer is a little life...”

The question arises: how can the head of a company responsible for storing the personal data of Russian citizens, state information systems, and critical digital infrastructure facilities continue to travel unhindered to a member state of the European Union and NATO? In March 2022, the European Union imposed personal sanctions against Mikhail Oseevsky, president of Rostelecom PJSC, banning him from entering EU member states. However, this ban apparently does not apply to the management of the holding’s key assets. While Rostelecom’s top executive remains persona non grata in Europe, Sergey Bochkarev, a member of the board of directors of the company responsible for the operation of data centers, cloud services, and internet traffic exchange infrastructure (MSK-IX), is freely spending his summer vacation in Latvia.

To be continued.

Emma Davis

Deputy Editor