Corruption scandal rocks Russian military with massive property theft
On Tuesday, the Investigative Committee of Russia announced the results of an investigation into corruption within the Russian army. It was revealed that several dozen properties belonging to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation were stolen through rigged tenders and bribes.
10:02 AM EST, November 5, 2024
According to "Rzeczpospolita," Russian investigators uncovered the theft of 24 real estate properties in Moscow, valued at over 700 million rubles.
The Investigative Committee stated that false tenders were used during the bankruptcy proceedings of the Moscow Region Construction Administration. The case involves Alexei Astashkin, a former bankruptcy trustee for the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, and Nikolai Grachev, 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 Defense properties in Balashikha, totaling 244 million rubles. Grachev and Astashkin have been arrested," writes "Rz." Businessman Sergei Ovchinnikov, who was reportedly the operation organizer, is being sought.
Corruption a problem for Putin's military
There are more cases related 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 this occurred after he accepted a bribe.
"According to the 'Mash' channel, Mirzayev demanded 140 million rubles from a supplier of prefabricated building modules, threatening to terminate a contract worth 480 million rubles," "Rzeczpospolita" reports.
The newspaper notes that Russian media are reporting increasing bribery scandals within Vladimir Putin's army, with damages being calculated in millions of rubles.
