Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov arrested in connection with corruption case

Russia’s former deputy defense minister, General Dmitry Bulgakov, has been arrested as part of a corruption case, the Russian FSB announced on Friday. 

Bulgakov is in custody in Moscow’s Butyrka remand prison.

Both the FSB and the Russian Investigative Committee said that Bulgakov is under investigation as part of a “corruption-related” criminal case, but did not disclose further details. 

Update: Bulgakov is suspected of large-scale embezzlement, the state news agency TASS reported later on Friday, citing materials from the criminal case. A source in law enforcement told TASS that Bulgakov allegedly lobbied for the Gryazinsky Food Plant and received kickbacks from its contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry as part of a scheme involving the purchase of poor-quality rations for the military at inflated prices. If convicted, Bulgakov will face up to 10 years in prison.

Dmitry Bulgakov served as Russia’s deputy defense minister from 2008 to 2022, and was responsible for the army’s logistics operations, including during the first months of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin fired Bulgakov from his post in September 2022, shortly after Russia announced a wave of mobilization.

Bulgakov’s arrest is the latest in an apparent purge of the Russian Defense Ministry that began with the arrest of Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov on felony bribery charges in April. Three more high-level officials were arrested in May, after Russia’s longtime Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu was removed from his post.