Putin’s purge continues: two different members of the Russian navy management have been arrested

Lieutenant General Vadim Shamarin, the second-in-command of the Russian Military General Staff, has been arrested on allegations of large-scale bribery. The record of high-ranking Russian officers taken into custody by authorities continues to develop, with General Shamarin being ordered to serve a two-month detention interval. Alongside him, Vladimir Verteletsky, in control of overseeing state purchases for the Russian Ministry of Defense, has additionally been arrested for abuse of energy.

The Russian Investigative Committee (CIR) discovered that Verteletsky accepted contracts in 2022 that have been by no means accomplished, leading to losses exceeding 70 million rubles (over $776,000). General Shamarin is the fourth senior navy official arrested in current weeks, accused of accepting a big bribe totaling 36 million rubles (round $400,000) from people related to the Telta phone manufacturing unit. Facing potential prices underneath Article 290 of the Criminal Code, he may very well be sentenced to as much as 15 years in jail.

The ongoing crackdown on corruption within the Russian Defense Ministry has additionally ensnared Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, Personnel Office director Yuri Kuznetsov, and former 58th Army commander Ivan Popov. These arrests coincide with a shakeup on the highest ranges of the Ministry, together with the dismissal of Minister Sergei Shoigu and subsequent appointment of economist Andrei Beloúsov. President Vladimir Putin has emphasised the necessity to handle protection spending, estimated at 8.7% of GDP, to modernize the Armed Forces and navy trade.

Criticism inside Russia, notably from ultranationalist circles, has pointed to Shamarin as a logo of systemic corruption inside the navy. His arrest has sparked a wave of jubilation amongst some sectors, highlighting a long-standing concern of embezzlement that had beforehand gone unaddressed. The Kremlin has reiterated its dedication to combatting corruption throughout all authorities ministries, emphasizing the continued nature of this effort.