Two high-ranking military officers detained in Russia for embezzlement – ISW

On 5 August, Russian authorities detained Vyacheslav Akhmedov, the head of the Russian Ministry of Defence’s Patriot Park, and Major General Vladimir Shesterov, Deputy Head of the Russian Ministry of Defence's Innovation Development Department, on suspicion of large-scale fraud. The Russian Defence Ministry’s Patriot Park is a theme park in Kubinka, Russia, dedicated to Russian army equipment and the Soviet Union's victory in World War II. 

Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

Details: Russian law enforcement officials informed TASS, a Kremlin-aligned news agency, that they suspect Akhmedov and Shesterov of embezzling over 40 million roubles (approximately US$471,000) from public procurement for Patriot Park. They also indicated that additional defendants might be implicated in the case. 

Patriot Park, a personal project of Sergei Shoigu, former Russian Defence Minister and current Security Council Secretary, was overseen by Timur Ivanov, a recently detained former Deputy Defence Minister, during its construction.

Quote: "A Russian milblogger who is particularly critical of the Russian military command praised Akhmedov's and Shesterov's arrests and claimed that Akhmedov and Shesterov were part of the ‘old team’ that controlled the Russian Ministry of Defence under Shoigu's leadership, suggesting that their arrests are ‘indicative’ of Shoigu's diminishing influence.

A Russian insider source who has previously correctly predicted several command changes within the Russian Ministry of Defence suggested that recently dismissed former Deputy Defence Minister Army General Pavel Popov, who is reportedly involved with Russia's National Defence Control Center, could be the next high-ranking Ministry of Defence official to be arrested." 

More details: Since April 2024, a wave of arrests has swept through the upper echelons of the Russian defence establishment, targeting several senior officials on corruption charges. 

Speculation among Russian military bloggers has linked these detentions, including that of Ivanov and other prominent figures associated with Shoigu, to a possible waning of Shoigu's influence in the Kremlin. This is seen as part of a broader effort to "cleanse" the Ministry of Defence of Shoigu's allies under the new leadership. 

Additionally, an insider revealed on 5 August that Lieutenant General Alexander Shestakov, the head of the Main Armoured Directorate, is anticipated to step down from his role shortly.

To quote the ISW’s Key Takeaways on 5 August:

• Russian authorities detained Vyacheslav Akhmedov, the head of the Russian Ministry of Defence's (MoD) Patriot Park, and Major General Vladimir Shesterov, Deputy Head of the Russian MoD's Directorate for Innovative Development, on suspicion of large-scale fraud as of 5 August.
• A Russian insider source who has previously correctly predicted several command changes within the Russian MoD claimed on 5 August that Lieutenant General Alexander Shestakov, the Head of the Russian MoD's Main Armoured Directorate, will leave his position in the near future.
• Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu met with various high-ranking Iranian officials, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Armed Forces General Staff Chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri, and Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Akhbar Ahmadian in Tehran on 5 August.
• Russia is tightening pre-departure standards for Tajik migrants hoping to work in Russia, likely as part of ongoing Russian efforts to address security threats from the Islamic State's Afghan branch IS-Khorasan (IS-K) following the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in March 2024.
• Ukraine's Defence Intelligence, citing satellite imagery, reported that Ukrainian drone strikes destroyed a Su-34 bomber aircraft and an ammunition warehouse at the Morozovsk Airfield in Rostov Oblast on 3 August.
• Russian forces advanced east of Toretsk and Pokrovsk and near the city of Donetsk and Robotyne.
• The Kremlin continues efforts to position Russian veterans who have fought in Ukraine in domestic political roles. 

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