As the corruption investigation progresses, Russia detains a former deputy minister of defense on suspicion of fraud

Pavel Popov, a former deputy defense minister, was arrested on Thursday by a military court in Moscow on charges of fraud. This is the most recent in a series of investigations into corruption involving officials connected to former defense minister Sergei Shoigu.

Popov has been in his position since 2013. This is the third probe of a high-ranking defense official concerning the development of a military theme park close to Moscow.

The court mandated Popov’s detention until October 29, according to Russian media. His attorney informed the state news agency RIA that he does not admit guilt.

Popov joins a group of at least twelve officials who have been embroiled in the largest corruption scandals to rock the Russian military and defense system in years since April.

President Vladimir Putin abruptly removed longtime defense minister Shoigu in May, shortly after the initial arrests. Andrei Belousov, an economist, took Shoigu’s place. The move was widely interpreted as an attempt to ensure tighter oversight of Russia’s sizable defense budget and to root out corruption and waste.

Russia is continuing its offensive in eastern Ukraine while simultaneously putting up a fight against a Ukrainian incursion that started on August 6.

Commentators on Russian politics argued that there was no doubt that Belousov’s inquiry into Popov was part of a larger campaign against graft against people connected to Shoigu.

Popov, 67, worked for Russia’s Emergencies Ministry for 17 years after graduating from a military academy. From 1991 to 2012, the current secretary of Russia’s security council, Shoigu, oversaw that ministry.

On June 17, Popov was dismissed from military service and given his position as deputy minister of defense by presidential decree, according to an online notification.

As assistant and later deputy at the defense ministry, Popov was one of Shoigu’s “closest associates,” according to journalist Alexei Venediktov.

Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, posted on Telegram on Thursday, saying, “Now this is, of course, a blow to Shoigu.”

Timur Ivanov, the deputy minister of defense, was arrested on April 23, signaling the start of the campaign against high-level corruption. While Shoigu was still the defense minister at the time, observers conjectured that the probe into Ivanov, one of Shoigu’s twelve deputies, was an attempt by a competing “clan” to weaken the minister’s position while amassing riches and influence.

Putin chose Belousov, a tough-talking economist without any military background, to succeed Shoigu in mid-May.

ARMY THEME PARK

A slew of arrests have happened since then. They have targeted, among others, the commander of a brigade that Kyiv and the West claim massacred Ukrainian civilians in Bucha during the early stages of the battle there, as well as people in charge of military logistics in Ukraine.

Everyone who is the subject of an investigation worked for Shoigu, the defense minister from 2012 until this past May.

In a statement released on Thursday, Russian investigators claimed that they were looking into allegations of fraud pertaining to the development of a military theme park.

“In 2021-2024 Popov, responsible for the development, maintenance and operation of the Patriot Park, enriched himself at the expense of this establishment,” claimed the Investigative Committee.

As part of the investigation into Patriot Park, two additional senior defense officials, Colonel Vyacheslav Akhmedov, the park’s director, and Major General Vladimir Shesterov, were arrested earlier this month on suspicion of fraud.

A war-themed tourist destination close to Moscow, the park gives guests the opportunity to climb on tanks and engage in battle simulations in addition to showcasing an extensive collection of Russian and Soviet weaponry.

According to investigators, Popov started stealing construction supplies from the park in 2021 and using them for installation work at his own country home.

As part of the fraud investigation, a number of properties valued at more than 500 million roubles ($5.47 million) that belonged to Popov and his family members were being examined, according to authorities.

One dollar is equivalent to 91.3500 roubles.