Media: Russian Generals "stormed" By High-profile Personnel Purges
1- 15.04.2026, 8:16
- 4,142
After Shoigu's resignation, large-scale investigations into the military leadership began.
A massive wave of investigations, dismissals and high-profile criminal cases is unfolding in Russia's Defense Ministry, which has been ongoing since spring 2024 and has already affected top military leadership, writes Radio Liberty.
According to investigators, Federal Security Service officers, together with prosecutors and the Interior Ministry, are looking into corruption, fraud and embezzlement among deputy defense ministers, generals and officials.
One of the most high-profile cases was the sentencing of Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov to 19 years in prison for bribery and embezzlement.
After Shoigu's resignation, a wave of arrests
Many of the defendants in the cases are linked to former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whom Vladimir Putin fired in May 2024 as part of a personnel reshuffle. He was replaced by economist Andrey Belousov.
After Shoigu's resignation, his associates, as well as officials associated with major defense contractors, particularly the Bamstroyput company, which worked on Defense Ministry projects, came under fire.
War and Internal Struggle
Experts attribute the wave of purges to several factors at once. Among them are the Russian army's problems in the war against Ukraine, an outdated military system and large-scale corruption.
In addition, there is a struggle of influences within the Russian elites. According to analysts, intelligence services could use the situation to shift responsibility for failures to the military leadership.
Criticism of Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov has been voiced before, in particular by the founder of PMC Wagner Evgeny Prigozhin, who died in a plane crash after a failed mutiny in 2023.
Analysts believe the Kremlin may use the cases as a show of anti-corruption amid rising military spending.
The appointment of Belousov, who has an economic background, is seen as an attempt to tighten control over defense spending and make it more efficient.
"The Kremlin seems to be sensitive to the fact that military spending consumes so many resources. Hence the decision to make a public spectacle of the anti-corruption arrests and appoint Belousov, a technocrat with economic views, to a position with the authority to ensure efficient defense spending," said John Gardy, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank.
Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims
You can contact us by the e-mail [email protected]
