A deputy chief of the Russian military general staff has been arrested on charges of large-scale bribery, according to Russian news reports on Thursday.
This arrest marks the latest in a series of bribery charges against high-ranking military officials.
Lt. Gen. Vadim Shamarin was arrested following the recent detention of Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov, a former top commander in Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, also on bribery charges. Earlier, in April, Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was arrested for bribery. Ivanov was a close associate of Sergei Shoigu, whom President Vladimir Putin dismissed as defense minister shortly after his inauguration for a new term in May.
Lt. Gen. Yury Kuznetsov, head of the defense ministry’s personnel directorate, was similarly arrested on bribery charges just two days after Shoigu’s dismissal.
Shamarin, who also heads the defense ministry’s main communications directorate, is currently held in custody for two months, as reported by a military garrison court. However, further details of the case have not been disclosed.
Shoigu had faced widespread criticism for Russia’s failure to capture Kyiv early in the Ukraine conflict. He was also accused of incompetence and corruption by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. In June 2023, Prigozhin led a mutiny demanding the dismissal of Shoigu and military chief of staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov.
In a related development, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday the commencement of the first stage of drills involving tactical nuclear weapons. This marked the first public announcement of such drills, although Russia’s strategic nuclear forces regularly conduct exercises.
Less than a month after Prigozhin’s failed uprising, Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov was dismissed as commander of the 58th Army. Popov claimed that his dismissal was a “treacherous” act against Russian forces in Ukraine. He had previously confronted Shoigu about inadequate equipment that had resulted in significant Russian casualties. Popov’s forces were engaged in the Zaporizhzhia region, a heavily contested area in the Ukraine conflict. His dismissal came a day after a Ukrainian strike hit the 58th Army’s command post in Berdyansk, resulting in the death of a high-ranking general.