Shuffles in Russian ranks: General Vadim Shamarin detained

There have been more changes in Russia. This time, General Vadim Shamarin, the Chief of the General Staff, was arrested and detained for two months.

Many reports by Russian state media or Kremlin officials are likely not authentic. Such reports may be part of an information war by the Russian Federation.

According to Kommersant, General Vadim Shamarin, head of the Main Communications Directorate of the Armed Forces and deputy chief of the General Staff, was detained in Russia. A source from law enforcement confirmed that the general's home was searched in connection with a criminal case involving alleged fraud.

Shamarin was to be taken for interrogation to the Main Investigative Division of the Military Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. A garrison military court is hearing the case. Similar to the case of General Ivan Popov, who was previously arrested for fraud, on 22 May at 05:00 GMT, the court's website published the case files mentioning the detention of a person with concealed data.

These are similar charges against military personnel in Russia. In 2020, former Deputy Chief of the General Staff Khalil Arslanov was arrested for fraud and corruption in the supply of equipment to the armed forces. At that time, the general was accused of accepting a bribe and fraud, totalling around £5.8 billion.

Earlier, Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov and the head of the leading personnel directorate of the Ministry of Defence, Lieutenant General Yuri Kuznetsov, were detained and arrested. Both are accused of accepting particularly large-scale bribes.

Kuznetsov's arrest, which occurred two days after Vladimir Putin removed Sergei Shoigu from leading the defence ministry, indicates that the most serious corruption scandal in the government in years is expanding widely; at least five people have been detained in connection with it so far, reported Reuters.