Viktor Frolov, the president of the Orenburg MMA Federation in Russia, was arrested for his role in oil and gas theft from local companies.
The president of the Orenburg MMA Federation, VIktor Frolov, was arrested in March 2020 for his suspected involvement in an organized crime group that has been stealing oil and gas from local companies.
The news was widely reported by Russian media and later confirmed by the Orenburg MMA Federation. Three other alleged accomplices were also detained.
According to reports, Frolov is one of the members of a group that organized the theft of gas condensate from local Orenburg gas processing plants, as well as oil in the Perevolotsky district. Illegal taps were found on the premise of the plants, though it remains unclear when they were installed, which makes it difficult to calculate the exact amount of stolen resources.
Investigators revealed that the criminal group tapped the oil pipeline in two separate locations and supplied the stolen raw materials to an illegal processing factory. Once the oil was processed, it was delivered to consumers. It should also be noted that the illegal pipelines were installed beneath the existing ones, which made them difficult to detect.
Prior to his arrest several months ago, Viktor Frolov was regarded as one of the most influential figures in Russian MMA. He is the president of the MMA Federation in Orenburg and sits on the board of the WMMAA organization. He has played an important role in advancing amateur MMA within the Russian Federation and has even worked with organizations such as M-1 Global.
Since Frolov’s arrest, there has been an outpouring of support from other figureheads in Russian MMA, including the president of the Russian MMA Union, Radmir Gabdullin.
“Over the years, Victor Frolov built one of the most powerful regional MMA federations in Russia from scratch in Orenburg. Under his leadership, dozens of young fighters who won titles in the Russian and European arena found their way into the sport. Viktor Petrovich pays great attention to youth sports. He invested enormous manpower and resources in the development of sections and youth sports schools. Thanks to him, many athletes got the opportunity to join the sport, win their first medals and feel the taste of victory.
The contribution of Viktor Petrovich Frolov to the development of sports is invaluable, and the brilliant results of the Federation’s athletes are obvious. Many, having completed an amateur career, switched to professional sports and, thanks to the support of Viktor Frolov, got into the most popular promotion, the UFC.
The work of Viktor Petrovich is highly appreciated by colleagues. Every year, under the auspices of the Federation, in Orenburg, the international professional tournament M-1 Challenge takes place, as well as dozens of amateur tournaments in mixed martial arts. I personally express my support to Viktor Petrovich. A person who is fully committed to the development of sports. I hope that everything will be resolved fairly, “Gabdullin wrote on Instagram .
Frolov is expected to remain in pre-trial detention until June 28.