The wave of arrests affecting the top echelon of the Russian army has claimed a new victim. General Vadim Shamarin, deputy chief of the general staff in charge of transmissions, was placed in custody by a military court on Wednesday, May 22. According to Russian agencies, he is accused of "accepting a particularly large bribe," charges for which he faces up to 15 years in prison.
In the evening, state media reported another arrest: Vladimir Verteletski, head of the Ministry's procurement department, was detained on the same charges. The day before, another general, Ivan Popov, was arrested on "fraud" charges. Popov, former commander of the 58th Army, gained fame in Russia throughout 2023 for his outspoken criticism of the command's errors in the Ukraine campaign. Renowned for taking good care of his men, he was popular with the troops.
The cases of Generals Shamarin and Popov show that the campaign of arrests is expanding beyond the restricted circle of Ministry of Defense officials to include the general staff and senior military ranks. The campaign began on April 23 with the spectacular arrest of Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, who was in charge of large-scale operations such as the reconstruction of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. It was followed by the arrest of the Ministry's chief of staff, Yuri Kuznetsov, and several of the two men's civilian business partners.
While few details are being given, the investigators are not linking the various cases together, at least publicly. "The fight against corruption is an ongoing process, not a campaign," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday. In fact, the selective nature of the arrests gives the appearance of not being part of a widespread purge, unlike the extensive crackdowns conducted by security services sometimes among senior officials and elected representatives.
The fact remains that these announcements raise questions: Until the fall of Ivanov, whose lavish lifestyle was long known, no arrests had been made within the army. This was true both since the start of the war in Ukraine and even after the revolt led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner militia, who was met with benevolence or at least passivity by some generals. What is more, these arrests are accompanied by movement at the top of the Ministry of Defense, where several senior officials have been dismissed, including another deputy minister, Ruslan Tsalikov.
Where will this wave end? With the arrest of his deputy, Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff since 2012 and in charge of the "special military operation" in Ukraine since early 2023, may feel threatened. After the appointment of Andrei Belousov as defense minister on May 12, replacing Sergei Shoigu, Peskov specified that Gerasimov would remain in office "for the time being." Since 2012, Guerassimov has formed an irremovable tandem with Shoigu, a close friend of the president who was ousted after 12 years in office.
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