A top Russian general has been arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes from military suppliers, according to Russian state news agencies.
General Valery Mumindzhanov, a key leader in Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s war in Ukraine, was arrested on suspicion of taking over 20 million rubles (around $220,000) from suppliers of Defense Ministry uniforms.
Mumindzhanov, who served as the deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Main Directorate for the Construction of Troops and Facilities, was detained by Russian law enforcement on charges of embezzlement, along with several other high-profile military figures.
The charges relate to alleged financial misconduct involving a state contract, according to Russian state news agencies. The arrest is the latest in a series of corruption-related crackdowns within the Russian government; Mumindzhanov is the ninth to be arrested in the purge which also hit Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, who was arrested for bribery in April.
A Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launcher rolls on Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9. Several high-profile military officials were arrested in new purges that cracked down on bribery.
Alexander NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images
Russia’s Investigative Committee said that investigators are also assessing how Mumindzhanov and his family acquired more than 120 million rubles of property, and whether or not the purchases were legal.
A social media post on Telegram from European news outlet Siren read: “The Investigative Committee reports that Major General Valery Mumindzhanov is suspected of receiving kickbacks from suppliers of the Defense Ministry’s uniforms in the amount of 1.5 billion rubles. He could have received up to 20 million rubles as a bribe.
“Under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (receiving a bribe on an especially large scale), he could face up to 15 years in prison.”
Former Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov was also arrested in the purges, on fraud charges. Popov is accused of forcing companies that had contracts with a military park in Moscow to do unpaid work on his own properties.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for more details about the arrests.
Who is Valery Mumindzhanov?
General Valery Mumindzhanov served as the deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Main Directorate for the Construction of Troops and Facilities.
This position placed him in a significant role overseeing military infrastructure projects and state contracts related to the construction and maintenance of military facilities.
Mumindzhanov is also deputy commander of the prominent Leningrad Military District, which was reorganized this year as part of Russia’s response to Finland and Sweden joining NATO after the invasion of Ukraine.
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