Russian Defense Ministry official arrested in Moscow on bribery charges

MOSCOW

The Russian Investigative Committee announced on Tuesday the arrest of the head of the Defense Ministry's personnel department on charges of bribery.

Yury ​​​​​​​Kuznetsov, who assumed the position in May 2023, is suspected of receiving substantial kickbacks, Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said.

Kuznetsov was found in possession of over 100 million rubles (some $1,1 million) in connection with a criminal case, she emphasized.

On April 23, Timur Ivanov, who was serving as the deputy defense minister, was apprehended in Moscow on similar allegations of corruption.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who took oath for a fifth term this month, removed on Sunday Sergey Shoygu from his post as the defense minister, replacing him with Andrey Belousov, a former first deputy prime minister who specializes in economics.