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Two Russian officials linked to defence ministry detained for fraud
Moscow, Aug 5 (AFP) Aug 05, 2024
Two Russian officials linked to the defence ministry, including a general, have been detained for allegedly embezzling state money earmarked for an army-themed amusement park near Moscow, investigators said Monday.

Russia has arrested a string of military officials in the past four months, part of what analysts have called a "purge" of army leaders seen as inefficient and corrupt.

Vyacheslav Akhmedov, the director of Russia's "Patriot" theme park, as well as Major General Vladimir Shesterov, the deputy head of the defence ministry's innovation department, have been detained on embezzlement charges, Russia's Investigative Committee said.

Together with their accomplices, the pair are accused of the "embezzlement of budget funds allocated for the operation and functioning of the Patriot Park" as well as for a nearby convention centre, it said.

The amount of money stolen was more than 40 million rubles ($470,000), the state-run TASS news agency reported, citing a source in law enforcement.

The arrests come amid a wider shakeup in Russia's military, with multiple other officials either replaced or arrested since late April.

In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin removed his long-time ally Sergei Shoigu as defence minister, replacing him with economist Andrei Belousov, a move seen as aimed at making the army more economically efficient.

Several other defence ministry officials were meanwhile arrested, including former deputy defence minister Timur Ivanov, as well as the ministry's head of personnel, Yury Kuznetsov, on bribery charges.


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