Federal Service Russia's Security Service (FSS) announced today that Dmitry Bulgakov, former deputy defense minister, has been arrested on corruption charges, Reuters reported, citing the Russian Interfax news agency, BTA reports.
According to the FSS statement quoted by the Russian state agency RIA Novosti, an investigation is underway, which should establish the facts of the alleged "illegal actions" by Bulgakov. He was taken to investigative detention in Moscow.
Bulgakov, who was in charge of military logistics before being sacked as deputy military minister in September 2022, is the latest senior figure to come through Russia's defense ministry to face corruption charges.< /p>
The series of arrests is the biggest scandal involving the Russian military in years and comes at a time when new Defense Minister Andrey Belousov – an economist with no military experience, is tasked with rooting out corruption from the military and channeling funding into what Moscow calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine.
The campaign against high-level corruption began on April 23 this year with the arrest of Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, close to former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Since then, at least five senior army and defense officials have been detained, Reuters notes.
The Kremlin has denied a role in the arrests, saying there are certain Russian government agencies that fight corruption.
Sixty-nine-year-old Bulgakov graduated from Russian military academies and held a number of posts in the army related to logistics, Reuters points out, referring to his biography. He is a holder of military and civil orders, including "Hero of Russia". – the highest state award.