Less than 24 hours after Vladimir Putin dismissed his defense minister, reportedly holding him responsible for failures in the war against Ukraine, masked security forces forcefully removed another high-ranking official from the Defense Ministry.
Counterintelligence agents allegedly arrived fully prepared to apprehend Lieutenant-General Yury Kuznetsov, who serves as the head of the Defense Ministry’s personnel department, on charges of bribery. According to a press release issued by the Investigative Committee on Tuesday, Kuznetsov is currently held in pre-trial detention, facing allegations of engaging in large-scale bribery.
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The specific charges against him are still unclear, but investigators have stated that during his tenure as the head of the 8th Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces from 2021 to 2023, Kuznetsov allegedly accepted a bribe from commercial enterprises. This bribe was reportedly given in exchange for him carrying out certain actions in their favor.
Just a few weeks ago, Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was arrested on bribery charges, which was seen as a significant setback for Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
In a surprising move on Sunday, Putin replaced Shoigu and appointed civilian economist Andrei Belousov as his replacement. The Kremlin has justified this decision by stating that the defense ministry needs to embrace innovation, and Belousov is seen as an ideal candidate for the role.
The Kremlin has emphasized that Shoigu’s appointment as the head of the Security Council should not be interpreted as a demotion. However, according to Bloomberg’s sources who requested anonymity, Putin’s confidence in Shoigu’s capability to handle the war has diminished due to corruption within the Defense Ministry. The report also suggests that last year’s mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, may have contributed to Shoigu’s dismissal.
Shoigu’s legacy seems to have been solidified as one of wartime corruption and incompetence, all at once. Moreover, those who are tired of the prolonged war against Ukraine entering its third year can now attribute the blame to the pervasive corruption within the military, rather than solely on the Kremlin.
One Wagner-linked Telegram channel described Kuznetsov and Ivanov as “sleazebags” and stated that they were going straight into the fire.
