Putin's purge: Top Russian generals arrested in corruption crackdown
There is an upheaval in the Russian Ministry of Defence, which began in mid-May with a change in the department's head. The Moscow Times reports "Federal Security Service (FSB) is going after high-ranking generals," with the approval of dictator Vladimir Putin.
Within two weeks of Sergei Shoigu's dismissal, four high-ranking Russian army generals were arrested on corruption charges, according to the independent "The Moscow Times". Sources close to the Kremlin indicate that this is just the beginning of what could potentially be one of the most extensive purges in modern Russian history.
For example, General Vadim Shamarin, the deputy chief of staff of the Russian army, Valery Gerasimov, was detained on corruption charges. Investigators accuse him of accepting a huge bribe, which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.
Earlier, Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov was detained on corruption charges, followed by Yuri Kuznetsov, who was responsible for human resources in the department. During the same period, as mentioned, Vladimir Putin dismissed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who had held the position since 2012.
The beginning of the purge in the Russian Ministry of Defence
- I think by the end of the year, dozens, maybe hundreds of people of different ranks will be arrested in all Defence Ministry units - a Russian government official told the newspaper.
The operation is being conducted by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, otherwise known as special services. Sources of "The Moscow Times" claim that the purge is punishment for failures in the war in Ukraine. This is especially true when considering what Vladimir Putin expected at the beginning of the conflict, based on data from, among others, the FSB.
- There must be one single party to blame for the failure of the invasion. It is either the special services, which were engaged in intelligence and analytical preparations for the war and promised Putin a triumphant operation and a quick victory but failed, or the 'second army of the world' under PR-czar Shoigu, which was supposed to ensure Putin's victory — but turned out to be a paper tiger and failed miserably - explains the interlocutor of the Russian newspaper.
