This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin intensified his campaign against corruption within the military ranks, resulting in several high-profile arrests.
One of the key figures apprehended is Vladimir Pavlov, head of JSC Voentorg, the procurement agency for the Russian Defense Ministry. He faces allegations of fraud, as reported by state news agency Tass.
JSC Voentorg is primarily responsible for providing catering and laundry services to the Russian military.
According to investigative outlet The Insider, Pavlov has been closely associated with a former partner of ex-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was unexpectedly removed from his position in May after a 12-year tenure.
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Irina Volk, spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, disclosed that Pavlov is implicated in the “theft of funds on a grand scale” from the Russian government, specifically during the execution of defense contracts. He allegedly collaborated with accomplices to overcharge on military toiletry bags from December 2019 to December 2022.
In another case, Sergei Sukhov, a leading figure in a military construction firm, was also arrested for embezzlement. This follows the detention of Andrei Belkov, ex-head of the Defense Ministry’s Military Construction Company, who was accused of misusing his authority related to a defense order.
Belkov reportedly inflated prices for a tomograph while overseeing the Main Military Construction Directorate for Special Facilities, as sourced from the Russian paper Kommersant.
His actions fell under the supervision of former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, arrested in April for alleged bribery. Since then, several high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Defense have been taken into custody.
A comprehensive investigation is ongoing into various contracts executed under Belkov’s leadership, focusing on his finances and potential unofficial business ties, Kommersant reported.
A source familiar with the Kremlin’s inner workings noted to the Moscow Times, “A thorough cleansing is in progress with a lot more arrests likely to come.”