In the middle of the war, Russia’s Defense Ministry is rocked by scandals. After a bribery affair, the investigators now seize a general who was supposed to watch over state secrets.
Shortly after a corruption scandal and the dismissal of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, another high-ranking general was arrested in Russia. The head of the cadre administration at the ministry, Lieutenant General Yuri Kuznetzov, is accused of bribery, the state news agency Tass reported.
The allegations concern his previous work as head of the service for the protection of state secrets. It is said that he received money from a company for favors.
The police searched the officer’s office and home. Funds amounting to 100 million rubles (around one million euros), including in foreign currency, were confiscated, said a spokeswoman for the investigative committee. Gold coins, luxury watches and other jewelry were also found.
It was only at the end of April that a high-ranking general, Timur Ivanov, came into the investigators’ sights. The deputy defense minister in charge of construction projects was also arrested over a bribery scandal. Ivanov was considered a close confidant of Minister Shoigu. President Vladimir Putin replaced Shoigu as defense minister as part of a government reshuffle. However, the 68-year-old got an honorable exit when he was appointed secretary of the National Security Council.
Experts also see the revelation of the scandals at the ministry against the background of the war of aggression against Ukraine. After more than two years, the results of the Russian invasion are still poor from the Kremlin’s perspective.
Source: Stern
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