Corruption scandal rocks Russian military logistics department
The Investigative Committee of Russia announced the results of its investigation into corruption within the Russian army on Tuesday. It was revealed that, among other inappropriate actions, several dozen properties belonging to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation were stolen through rigged tenders and bribes.
5 November 2024 13:11
Russian investigators, as reported by "Rzeczpospolita," uncovered the theft of 24 real estate properties in Moscow valued at over 700 million rubles, which converts to approximately 9.5 million CAD.
The Investigative Committee stated that false tenders were employed during the bankruptcy proceedings of the Moscow Region Construction Administration. The case involves Alexei Astashkin, a former bankruptcy trustee of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, and Nikolai Grachev, the former head of the Russian military logistics department.
"Earlier, the Investigative Committee reported that these same defendants were involved in the theft of 15 Ministry of Defence properties in Balashikha, totalling 244 million rubles. Grachev and Astashkin have been arrested," writes "Rz." Businessman Sergei Ovchinnikov, who was reportedly the operation's organizer, is being sought.
Corruption a problem for Putin's military
There are more cases linked to corruption in the Russian army. On Monday, Major General Mirza Mirzayev, deputy head of logistics for the Russian National Guard, was arrested. Media reported that it happened after he accepted a bribe.
"According to the 'Mash' channel, Mirzayev demanded 140 million rubles (1.9 million CAD) from a supplier of prefabricated building modules, threatening to terminate a contract worth 480 million rubles," reads "Rzeczpospolita."
The newspaper notes that Russian media is reporting increasing bribery scandals in Vladimir Putin's army, with damages being calculated in millions of rubles.
