Russia defense scandal deepens with arrest of new bribery suspect
The head of personnel at Russia’s Defense Ministry has been arrested on suspicion of bribery after more than $1 million in cash and valuables were discovered at his properties, investigators said on Tuesday.
The head of personnel at Russia’s Defense Ministry has been arrested on suspicion of bribery after more than $1 million in cash and valuables were discovered at his properties, investigators said on Tuesday.
The arrest of Yuri Kuznetsov signals a widening of the biggest government corruption scandal in years, two days after President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly removed Sergei Shoigu from the post of defense minister.
The state Investigative Committee said Kuznetsov was suspected of “receiving a bribe on an especially large scale.”
“According to the investigation, in 2021–2023, as the head of the 8th Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Kuznetsov received a bribe from representatives of commercial structures for performing certain actions in their favour,” the committee said.
At least five people have been arrested in the scandal, starting with the detention of deputy minister Timur Ivanov on the same charge on April 23.
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