Britain launches new probes into Russian defense sector corruption

The British Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that it has initiated two new investigations into corruption in Russia, explicitly targeting representatives of the local defense sector. According to the report, corruption in the Russian defense industry is commonplace, but there has been an increase in the persecution of individuals who lack political protection.

The latest intelligence update revealed that Andrei Belkov, head of the Military Construction Enterprise under the Russian Ministry of Defense, was arrested on corruption charges.

Former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu praised this company for its supposedly "extraordinary audit system." British intelligence assessed that this company was likely used in corruption schemes from which Russian officials benefited.

On July 23 in Rostov-on-Don, the former director of the tactical missile plant "Zvezda-Strela" was imprisoned for financial fraud and price gouging.

In the Ministry of Defense's statement, it was noted that corruption is an "endemic" phenomenon in the Russian defense industry. An audit in 2007 revealed that as much as 70 percent of the ministry's budget funds were being misused.

Some of this corruption is tolerated by the Kremlin, but there have been increasing crackdowns on those not sufficiently politically protected since the start of the war in Ukraine —according to the summary.