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Another Russian ex-defense official arrested on corruption charges

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by Kateryna Hodunova
Another Russian ex-defense official arrested on corruption charges
Russian law enforcement guard the Red Square near the Kremlin on June 24, 2023 in Moscow, Russia, amid the Wagner Group's ongoing armed rebellion in Russia. (Contributor/Getty Images)

Vladimir Demchik, a former head of the Property Department of the Russian Defense Ministry, was arrested on corruption charges, the Russian Investigative Committee reported on Aug. 6.

Demchik is suspected of taking a four-million ruble ($46,900) bribe in 2017 from the CEO of a commercial organization that wanted to win government contracts.

Since April, several Russian high-ranking military officials have been arrested on charges ranging from bribery to abuse of power after the dismissal of Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov.

In mid-May, Russian President Vladimir Putin also dismissed his longtime ally Sergei Shoigu from the post of defense minister. Shoigu was replaced by former First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov.

Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) also recently reported a sharp increase in registered criminal proceedings for bribery in the Russian military.

In the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces alone, the number of criminal cases opened over five months of 2024 due to illegal dismissal from service through bribery has tripled, according to HUR.

Almost half of these proceedings are being investigated in the 8th Combined Arms Army, whose units are deployed in Ukraine.

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Russian ex-deputy defense minister arrested on corruption charges
In his previous position, former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov was in charge of the military’s logistics chains during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. His dismissal was widely seen as a response to the logistic failures that accompanied the early months of Russia’s all-out war.
The Kyiv IndependentNate Ostiller
Russia's Defense MinistryCorruptionEastern Europe
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Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

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