Major General Valery Mumindzhanov, the deputy commander of the Leningrad Military District, has been detained on charges of receiving a large-scale bribe.
The Russian Investigative Committee announced the initiation of the criminal case, detailing allegations that implicate Mumindzhanov in extensive corrupt activities during his tenure.
According to the Investigative Committee’s statement on Monday, September 2, Mumindzhanov is accused of exploiting his influential position to facilitate contracts worth over 1.5 billion rubles with commercial companies for the supply of military gear, some of which was destined for Russian forces engaged in Ukraine. These dealings are said to have enriched Mumindzhanov personally, with bribes amounting to more than 20 million rubles.
The probe has also revealed that Mumindzhanov, in collaboration with Vyacheslav Akhmedov, director of the “Patriot” park, and Vladimir Shesterov, deputy chief of the Main Directorate for Innovative Development of the Ministry of Defense, engaged in the unauthorized use of park resources for personal gains. This included directing construction and maintenance services to his private properties in the Moscow region.
Investigators have discovered multiple high-value properties in Moscow and Voronezh, owned by Mumindzhanov and his family, with the legality of these acquisitions currently under scrutiny. “The properties, valued at over 120 million rubles, are being examined to ascertain the legality of their acquisition,” stated the Investigative Committee.
This arrest is the third high-profile detention of a former deputy to Sergei Shoigu, the former Minister of Defense, underscoring a broader pattern of corruption within the Russian military’s upper echelons. Previous cases involved Dmitry Bulgakov and Timur Ivanov, both former deputies in the Ministry of Defense, who were arrested under similar charges involving large sums of money.