- Russia's Defence Ministry Hit by Corruption Scandal
- Putin Shakes Up Defence Ministry with New Appointment
- High-Profile Arrests Made, Including Deputy Minister
Russia’s Defense Ministry is embroiled in its biggest corruption scandal in years, with the arrest of its head of personnel, Yuri Kuznetsov, on suspicion of bribery. The scandal has widened with Kuznetsov’s arrest, just two days after President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly removed Sergei Shoigu from the post of defense minister.
According to investigators, Kuznetsov was suspected of “receiving a bribe on an especially large scale”. He is accused of accepting bribes from commercial structures in exchange for favourable actions, amounting to over $1 million in cash and valuables. Searches at his properties uncovered a stash of roubles and foreign currency, gold coins, watches, and luxury items.
Kuznetsov’s arrest is the latest in a series of high-profile detentions in the scandal, which began with the arrest of deputy minister Timur Ivanov on April 23. Ivanov is accused of receiving bribes worth $11 million in the form of property services from a construction company in exchange for contracts. He denies the accusations and has been detained along with his friend Sergei Borodin, who is charged with conspiring to take bribes.
Two other men, Alexander Fomin and Anton Filatov, have also been arrested in connection with the scandal. Fomin is the co-founder of a construction company that allegedly provided the bribes, while Filatov, the former head of several companies subordinate to the defense ministry, is suspected of large-scale embezzlement.
The scandal has led to a shake-up in the defense ministry, with Putin appointing Andrei Belousov, an economist and former deputy prime minister, to replace Shoigu. Belousov has no military background, and his appointment is seen as part of a strategy to improve the efficiency of Russia’s war economy as its army seeks to push further into Ukraine.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that two more deputy defense ministers may have resigned before Shoigu’s departure, indicating a wider purge of corrupt officials. The arrests and resignations suggest that Putin is serious about rooting out corruption in the awarding of huge military contracts, which has long been a problem in Russia’s defense ministry.
The charges against Kuznetsov and Ivanov carry a jail term of up to 15 years, and the scandal is likely to continue to unfold in the coming weeks and months.
