In Moscow courts over the past few weeks, generals are the newest inmate profile to emerge. The latest is Valeri Moumindjanov, deputy commander of the Leningrad military district. On Monday, September 2, the Investigative Committee arrested the former high-ranking Defense Ministry official, accused of taking a bribe of over 20 million rubles (around €200,000) when contracts for the supply of uniforms were concluded.
Four days earlier, a former deputy defense minister, General Pavel Popov, was arrested on fraud charges. He allegedly enriched himself during the construction of Patriot Park, built on the outskirts of Moscow to host army forums and fuel the Kremlin's patriotic narrative. The investigating committee delved into his personal affairs: He reportedly owns properties worth over 500 million rubles "in prestigious areas" in Moscow and the south of Russia.
In all, in just five months, at least 10 generals and defense ministry officials were detained or prosecuted for fraud and corruption by the Investigative Committee. This powerful judicial body, which answers directly to the Kremlin, could not act without approval from the top. "Corruption is in the DNA of this ministry. Now is the time to clean house, even if, in practice, it won't change much," said a European expert on the Russian army in Moscow.
The wave of arrests began just after Vladimir Putin's re-election on March 17, with, on April 23, the spectacular detention of Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, who, responsible in particular for rebuilding the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, was renowned for his expensive lifestyle. In turn, Yuri Kuznetsov, head of the ministry's personnel department, Vladimir Verteletski, head of the supply department, then General Vadim Shamarin, deputy chief of the General Staff, and finally Ivan Popov, ex-commander of the 58th army, were incarcerated.
All are facing up to 15 years imprisonment on fraud or corruption charges. These arrests, described as a "purge" by some Russian military Telegram channels, have accelerated since the Kremlin appointed a new defense minister on May 12. Andrei Belousov, an economist and mathematician by training, with a reputation for toughness and integrity but no military experience, was given the task of cleaning house.
After each arrest, Sergei Shoigu – Belousov's predecessor's – phone rings nonstop. He is one of Putin's most loyal followers and in command of the army for 12 years, he has since been appointed secretary of the Security Council, an honorary position from which he helplessly follows the arrests of his former friends. "Although he retains this official role, Sergei Shoigu has been unable to protect his former associates from arrest or secure key appointments. This could signal the decline of his political influence and a potential change in his personal relationship with the president," said political scientist at Paris think tank R. politik Tatiana Stanovaya.
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