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Director of Russia's 'Patriot Park' arrested on corruption charges

by Nate Ostiller and The Kyiv Independent news desk August 5, 2024 4:44 PM 2 min read

A man and a boy ride in a toy tank at Patriot Park in the Moscow region on July 24, 2022. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)

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Russian authorities arrested two more Defense Ministry officials on corruption charges, including Vyacheslav Akhmedov, the director of the "Patriot Park" outside of Moscow, Russia's Investigative Committee announced on Aug. 5.

The arrests of Akhmedov and Major General Vadim Shesterov were the latest in a series of investigations and detentions of former and current officials from Russia's Defense Ministry, in what some have characterized as a "purge."

According to the Investigative Committee, Akhmedov and Shesterov, along with "other accomplices," are accused of skimming government funds intended for the park.

The Patriot Park, a military-themed tourist attraction in a Moscow suburb, opened in 2016 and features displays related to the Russian army and the Soviet Union's victory in World War II. It has since expanded to include propaganda related to the full-scale war in Ukraine, such as displays of captured military equipment.

Visitors inspect a military vehicle adorned with a Russian flag and the letter Z, which has become a symbol of support for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, at Patriot Park in the Moscow region on July 24, 2022. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)

The state-run media outlet TASS wrote that the detention of the two officials was unrelated to the recent spate of arrests of Defense Ministry officials.

Earlier in August, Vladimir Pavlov, the head of the Russian military's clothing and food supplier Voentorg, was detained on fraud charges.

The previous month, Dmitry Bulgakov, who formerly served as a Russian deputy defense minister until September 2022, was arrested on corruption-related charges.

The day before, Andrei Belkov, the head of the military construction company linked to Russia's Defense Ministry, was arrested on suspicion of corruption.

Belkov was previously supervised by former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, who is currently also under investigation on corruption-related charges.

In May, Lieutenant General Yuri Kuznetsov, the head of the personnel department of the Russian Defense Ministry, was detained on criminal charges, and Lieutenant General Vadim Shamarin, a deputy chief of the Russian Armed Forces' General Staff and head of the Main Directorate of Communications, was arrested for allegedly receiving a large bribe.

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Authors: Nate Ostiller, The Kyiv Independent news desk

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