In a month marked by a series of high-profile arrests, Russia has detained Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin, the deputy head of the army’s general staff, on charges of large-scale bribery.
A military court ruled on Wednesday that Shamarin, who also oversees the Ministry of Defence’s main communications directorate, be held in custody for two months, as reported by the state-run TASS news agency. This arrest is part of a broader effort to combat corruption within the military, particularly in the awarding of lucrative contracts.
Earlier this month, Major-General Ivan Popov, a former top commander in the Ukraine conflict, and Lieutenant-General Yuri Kuznetsov, head of the Defence Ministry’s personnel directorate, were also arrested on bribery charges.
In April, Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov, a close ally of former Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, was detained on similar charges. Following his inauguration in May, President Vladimir Putin dismissed Shoigu, who was replaced by economist Andrei Belousov.
Shoigu had been criticized for Russia’s failure to capture Kyiv early in the Ukraine conflict and faced accusations of incompetence and corruption from Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Wagner Group, who died in a plane crash last year after a failed mutiny attempt.
Additionally, three other individuals have been arrested in connection with the crackdown: a friend of Ivanov, a construction company executive alleged to have paid bribes, and the former head of several Defence Ministry-related companies.
Shamarin serves as a deputy to General Valery Gerasimov, the head of the general staff. While Gerasimov has not been implicated in any corruption, he has faced criticism regarding the military’s performance in Ukraine. The Kremlin has denied that these arrests constitute a targeted purge.
"The fight against corruption is an ongoing effort. It is not a campaign. It is an integral part of the activities of law enforcement agencies," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The arrests and leadership changes at the Defence Ministry coincide with a significant battlefield advance by Russian forces in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.
Recent Russian attacks on the city of Kharkiv, the regional capital, have resulted in six deaths and at least 16 injuries, according to local authorities.
Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that Russian forces struck Kharkiv around 10 times. The assault also targeted the towns of Zolochiv and Liubotyn in the Kharkiv region, injuring at least two people in each location. Syniehubov mentioned on Telegram that nearly 11,000 residents have been displaced since the ground offensive began on May 10.
Meanwhile, Ukraine launched a drone strike on a village in Russia’s Belgorod border region and shelled the occupied city of Gorlivka in eastern Ukraine, resulting in two fatalities, according to local reports.
The Russian Defence Ministry announced on Thursday that its air defense systems in Belgorod intercepted three Olkha and 32 Vampire rockets, as well as three drones launched by Ukraine overnight.
The Kremlin claims its new offensive in Kharkiv aims to establish a "security zone" to prevent future Ukrainian attacks across the border.
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