Russian officer formerly in charge of Moscow air defense arrested for bribery

Major General Konstantin Ogienko, a Russian military officer formerly in command of Moscow's air defense, had been arrested on bribery charges, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Sept. 7.

The ex-commander of the 1st Special Purpose Air and Missile Defense Army, together with another officer Major General Dmitry Belyatsky, took a bribe of 500,000 rubles ($5,000), TASS news agency cited the court.

This sum was the first payment of 30 million rubles ($300,000) that the suspects reportedly demanded from the head of the non-governmental organization "Nadezhda" to help the person acquire a plot of land owned by the Russian Defense Ministry in Dolgoprudny and Lobnya near Moscow, TASS said.

The case against Ogienko was reportedly launched in July, after which the officer was relieved of command. According to Russian media, Belyatsky pleaded partially guilty and testified against his co-defendant.

Ogienko pleaded not guilty. He faces up to 15 years in prison.

There have been multiple cases of drone strikes against the Russian capital in the past few months. The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of the attacks, while Kyiv does not generally admit responsibility for strikes and similar incidents taking place on Russian territory.

Most recently, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said today on Sept. 7 that Russian air defense shot down a drone over Ramenskoye, southeast of Moscow.

From Moscow to Novorossiysk: The list of attacks on Russian soil

On the morning of Aug. 4, the residents of the Russian city of Novorossiysk woke to a 112-meter-long Navy ship being towed back to port after it was hit by a drone attack on the Black Sea overnight. While the Russian Defense Ministry claimed there were no casualties or damage,

The Kyiv IndependentElsa Court