Russian Defense Ministry rocked by another high-ranking official's arrest

"Corruption is deeply rooted in the Russian MOD, and it is likely that there will be further arrests," predicts the British Ministry of Defense. This comment follows recent reports of the arrest of another high-ranking Russian official.

The Deputy Chief of the Russian General Staff, Gen. Vadim Shamarin, is the latest high-ranking official from the Russian Ministry of Defense to be arrested on corruption charges since Sergei Shoigu's dismissal, according to the British Ministry of Defense on Saturday.

In the daily intelligence update, it was reported that Shamarin was arrested on Thursday on charges of accepting large bribes and subsequently charged under Article 290, Section 6 of the Russian Criminal Code, which pertains to accepting bribes on an immense scale.

It was noted that Shamarin is the latest high-ranking Ministry of Defense official to be arrested on corruption charges, following Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov and Head of Human Resources Yuri Kuznetsov.

The statement said all these arrests have occurred since Sergei Shoigu was dismissed as Minister of Defense on May 12. Shamarin has led the Main Communications Directorate since 2021. One of his predecessors in this role, Colonel General Khalil Arslanov, was also charged with corruption in 2020. Corruption is deeply entrenched in the Russian Ministry of Defense, and more arrests will likely occur.