Russian Defense Ministry officials to be arrested again, British intelligence predicts
Russian ex-Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu (photo: kremlin.ru)
Corruption is deeply entrenched among officials of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Soon, the number of arrests of corrupt officials may increase, states the British Ministry of Defense.
The report reminded that on May 23, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Vadim Shamarin was detained in Russia for bribery. This was preceded by other arrests of Russian officials.
For example, Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov and Chief Personnel Officer of the Russian Defense Ministry Yuri Kuznetsov were detained for corruption.
The latter had been heading the Russian Defense Ministry's Communications Directorate since 2021, and one of his predecessors, Khalil Arslanov, was also suspected of corruption.
"Corruption is deeply rooted in the Russian Ministry of Defense and there is a high probability of more arrests," British intelligence notes.
Detention in Russia
In April 2024, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was detained in Russia in a case of taking a large bribe. He was arrested, and the media reported that the reason for his detention was not corruption but treason.
A source in the intelligence services told RBC-Ukraine that the Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate helped "expose" Ivanov. In March 2024, cyber specialists from the GUR obtained official documents of Shoigu's deputy and leaked them. After that, Ivanov was detained.
Vadim Shamarin, the head of the Russian Main Communications Directorate, was also recently detained in Russia.
