Russian corruption probe widens as senior defence official arrested
Al Jazeera
Yuri Kuznetsov, the second senior official arrested in the case, is accused of bribery after being found holding $1m.
Russian police have arrested a senior Ministry of Defence official on bribery charges.
The Investigative Committee of Russia announced on Tuesday the arrest of Yuri Kuznetsov, head of personnel. He is the second senior official from the ministry to be arrested in what appears to be a widening corruption case, which coincides with an apparent tightening of oversight of the military by the Kremlin amid its war on Ukraine.
The HR chief was arrested after $1m in roubles and foreign currency, as well as gold coins, watches and luxury items were discovered at his properties, investigators said.
“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.
The charges against him carry a jail term of up to 15 years.
