Another Defence Ministry top official arrested for corruption and bribery

Security officers conducted searches in the house of the head of the Main Personnel Directorate of the Russian Defence Ministry, Yuri Kuznetsov, an official representative of the Investigative Committee of Russia Svetlana Petrenko said.

A large amount of cash in indifferent currencies — an equivalent of more than 100 million rubles — was found in Kuznetsov's house during the searches. Officers also found gold coins and luxury items, such as collectible watches.

The head of the Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense was detained on suspicion of committing a criminal offence. Prosecutors appealed to the 235th Garrison Military Court with a request to arrest the lieutenant general.

Lieutenant General Yuri Kuznetsov was charged under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Receiving a bribe on an especially large scale”). From 2010 to 2023, the suspect, serving as the head of the 8th Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, received a particularly large bribe from commercial structures "for performing certain actions in their favour.”

The lieutenant general faces up to 15 years in prison under this article.

On April 23, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was detained at his workplace. The next day he was removed from his post. According to investigators, Ivanov entered into a criminal conspiracy and, as part of an organised group, received property benefits from contracting and subcontracting works for the needs of the military department. The official was charged under Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Receiving a bribe on an especially large scale”). He did not plead guilty to the charges at court.

Timur Ivanov lived in a luxury mansion in a cottage village on Rublevo-Uspenskoye Highway. His mansion was evaluated at one billion rubles. In addition, during his career in the ministry, Ivanov and his wife acquired a 1,500-square-meter house. The couple would also purchase new vehicles every year. The collection, numbering more than a dozen cars, also included a rare ZiS.