Press
In Russia, several officers have died or been arrested since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The reason for this could be corruption.
Moscow – Russian General Magomed Khandayev has been found dead at the age of 61. Khandayev had headed the Russian Defense Ministry’s audit department since June 2023. Neither the place of death nor the cause of death were disclosed. An official from the Russian Republic of Dagestan told the Russian news agency CupThe general’s body was flown to the city of Makhachkala, where he will be buried.
Corruption in Russia: Dead General Witness Khandayev appeared as a witness in court
Khandayev’s death raises many questions. The Dagestani was considered an important witness in a corruption scandal in which several high-ranking Russian military personnel were arrested on corruption charges. The former Minister of Defense Timur Ivanov, who was under Khandayev’s command, is also considered a suspect. Khandayev was directly responsible for the work related to the billeting of the Russian marine in the Caspian Sea and also supervised the construction of social infrastructure facilities.
Corruption in Russia: Several arrests of generals
In May, the military court ordered that the deputy chief of the army’s general staff, Vadim Shamarin, should initially remain in custody for two months. The deputy chief of the general staff, who was previously responsible for communications, is accused of accepting large amounts of bribes. In Russia, this is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The Kremlin then announced that the increasing number of arrests of high-ranking army personnel in connection with corruption allegations was not a sign of a purge in the military. “The fight against corruption is an ongoing effort, not a campaign,” government spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Thursday. “This is part of the work of our security forces.”
Corruption in Russia: Also an accusation by former Wagner boss Prigoschin
On May 12, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was unexpectedly dismissed after more than ten years in office and appointed Secretary of the National Security Council. Economist Andrei Belousov was chosen as his successor. K
Corruption in the highest ranks of the Russian army was also a recurring accusation by the former head of the paramilitary Wagner Group, Yevgeny PrigozhinHe died in a mysterious plane crash last year, two months after a failed uprising against the military leadership. The extent of corruption in Russia is also shown by the so-called Corruption Perceptions Index from Transparency International. In it, the country ranks 137th out of 180 countries. (erpe/AFP)
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