Two former high-ranking officials from Russia’s Ministry of Defense, responsible for overseeing classified weapons development projects, have been arrested on charges of large-scale bribery.
Retired colonels Andrey Chekmazov and Dmitry Fomin were taken into custody, accused of accepting bribes totaling 7.7 million rubles ($86,000) in exchange for turning a blind eye to violations in military contracts. The arrests were confirmed by the Main Military Investigative Directorate of Russia’s Investigative Committee.
Chekmazov, who led the Department for advanced interdisciplinary research in the field of new physical principles for weapons development, and Fomin, his deputy, were responsible for overseeing key projects touted by Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of the country’s future military capabilities.
The accusations stem from two state contracts signed between the Ministry of Defense and the company Oborontest in 2016 and 2022, with a total value of 1.5 billion rubles ($16 million).
According to investigators, between June 2023 and September 2024, Chekmazov and Fomin received 7.71 million rubles from Oborontest’s Deputy General Director, Alexander Sukharev, “in exchange for the unrestricted acceptance of project stages, ignoring detected violations, and overall patronage in service matters.”
Chekmazov has been placed in pre-trial detention, while Fomin is under house arrest. Both men face charges under Article 290, part 6, of Russia’s Criminal Code, which covers large-scale bribery. Sukharev is also being investigated for offering a bribe under Article 291, part 5, of the Criminal Code.
This arrest follows a broader crackdown within Russia’s defense sector. On September 3, military investigators charged former employees of the Military Construction Company (VSK) with taking bribes and abusing their official positions. The accused include Sergey Gorsky, Deputy Head of the Construction Department, and senior officials overseeing projects for the Western Military District (ZVO).
The case centers on bribes exceeding 13 million rubles, allegedly paid to ensure the approval of advance payment requests and to overlook violations during the construction of a multi-specialty clinic for the Kirov Military Medical Academy.
The arrests are part of ongoing investigations into corruption within Russia’s defense procurement system.