Russia detains army general accused of taking bribe

Russia has detained another senior military official on suspicion of bribery, authorities said Monday, the latest in a string of arrests linked to alleged corruption in the defense ministry.

Major General Valery Muminjanov, who worked in the defense ministry’s resources department, helped arrange state contracts for private companies that supplied army uniforms, according to investigators.

“For the above assistance he received a bribe of a particularly large amount totaling over 20 million rubles ($223,000),” Russia’s Investigative Committee said.

“During the investigation it was established that Muminjanov and his family members own numerous real estate properties in Moscow and Voronezh worth more than 120 million rubles, the legality of which is being checked,” it added.

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He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Moscow has arrested at least 10 military officials since April, part of what analysts have called a “purge” of inefficient or corrupt army leaders amid Russia’s Ukraine offensive.

In May, President Vladimir Putin replaced longtime defense minister Sergei Shoigu with Andrei Belousov, an economist, widely seen as a bid to make the armed forces more economically efficient.

The defense ministry has been marred by repeated corruption scandals since the collapse of the Soviet Union, a problem that has come under intense scrutiny since Moscow launched its offensive in Ukraine.

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Last week, former deputy defense minister Pavel Popov was arrested on fraud charges linked to the construction of an army-themed amusement park outside Moscow.