Since the dismissal of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the investigative authorities have taken a hard line against his former colleagues. This is unlikely to change the basic problems much.
The Cathedral of the Armed Forces outside Moscow is the most curious building in recent Russian church history. The monumental building, painted in camouflage colors, is bursting with military-historical and political symbolism, which mainly relates to the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany. The church is surrounded by the “Park Patriot”, a museum and training complex in which children can undergo military training and war events are re-enacted.
A new case almost every week
The entire complex is closely linked to Sergei Shoigu, who was Russia’s defense minister for twelve years until May. He is said to have had the idea for it and has immortalized himself in it, so to speak. But now the iron broom that has been sweeping the defense ministry since Shoigu’s departure has also reached “Park Patriot” and with it Shoigu’s legacy. A number of high-ranking officials, including General Pavel Popov, one of the now-deposed deputy defense ministers, are said to have enriched themselves in connection with the construction and maintenance of the park. Officially recorded contracts are said to have been carried out to expand Popov’s suburban house. Investigators also noticed Popov’s impressive number of properties in prestigious locations. The general denies the allegations.
A wave of arrests unprecedented in modern Russia is sweeping through the Ministry of Defense and the army. Many commentators were reminded of the “purges” in the Communist Party and the Red Army during the time of dictator Josef Stalin. The analogy is flawed for many reasons. However, the actions of the investigative authorities and the unit of the FSB secret service responsible for military counterintelligence are undoubtedly remarkable. Six high-ranking officers with the rank of general and fourteen high-ranking officials are now being investigated for corruption, fraud, embezzlement and enrichment.
New cases are being added almost every week. At the beginning of the week, it was Major General Valery Mumindzhanov, deputy commander of the revived Leningrad Military District. There and before that in the Ministry of Defense, he was responsible for material and technical equipment, a key area that is also susceptible to corruption. Like other defendants, he is said to have favored suppliers and accelerated projects in return for money. Two less senior officials from the Department of Special Projects in the Ministry of Defense were arrested at the end of the week; they are also accused of bribery.
Politics and opportunism
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the actions of the investigative authorities “systematic work to combat corruption.” But given the fact that the allegations mostly date back years and the behavior of some of those arrested had certainly been known for a long time, it is primarily a matter of politics and opportunism. Army spending has increased many times over since the attack on Ukraine in 2022. This has not only aroused new desires. The war also highlighted the grievances and the need to use the extensive financial resources more effectively.
President Vladimir Putin entrusted the task to the economist Andrei Belousov, whom he appointed as Shoigu’s successor in May. Shortly before this, Timur Ivanov, one of the deputy defense ministers who had not concealed his luxurious lifestyle from anyone in the elite, was arrested. Ten of the twelve deputy ministers have now been replaced. They were replaced by people with no military background, but with knowledge of finance and the secret services. They include Putin’s second cousin, Anna Tsivileva, and one of the sons of former Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. In part, this is also about a new distribution of privileges – from the Shoigu clan to new circles close to the secret services and Putin.
Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, in office since May, is overhauling his agency.
Belousov has inherited a very difficult legacy, said Valery Shiryaev, a military expert at the regime-critical newspaper Novaya Gazeta, in a recent television interview. It is not enough to simply reorganize the flow of money. The ministry and the army must be completely restructured. He calls the investigations into generals and high-ranking officials a “palliative measure.” The fight against corruption does not change the basic situation. At best, it alleviates the most serious misconduct for the moment – and opens up opportunities for a new team.
What happens to Shoigu?
With the change at the top of the Ministry of Defense, the officials appointed by Shoigu were sidelined. Even those who had already retired, such as General Dmitri Bulgakov, the deputy minister responsible for supplies until 2022, are only now being held accountable. Investigators are apparently accusing him of having procured food rations for the soldiers at inflated prices that did not meet nutritional requirements, and of having favored companies and relatives. Some of those arrested are accusing each other in order to get a reduced sentence.
In some of the cases that are officially based on allegations of fraud, other motives may also play a decisive role – for example, in the case of deposed field commander Ivan Popov, who had expressed sharp criticism of the military leadership. The situation surrounding Artyom Gorodilov, a colonel who is said to have taken part in the rampage of the Russian troops in Bucha with his former unit and who is now also accused of fraud, is less clear.
With each new arrest, attention is also focused on those former officials who are still at large. Ruslan Zalikov, the former first deputy defense minister and a close confidant of Shoigu, is particularly exposed. Everything is pointing towards Zalikov also being targeted by investigators sooner or later. Then it would not be far to Shoigu. He now has to make do with a position that has severely limited his ability to exert influence and is unlikely to please him particularly. But he still seems to be under Putin’s protection.