Lieutenant General Yuri Kuznetsov, the head of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Main Personnel Directorate, has been arrested on suspicion of taking “especially large bribes,” the Russian Investigative Committee reported on Tuesday.
The charges are related to incidents that allegedly occurred during the general’s tenure from 2021–2023 as head of the 8th Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, which encompasses the Defense Ministry’s State Secrets Protection Service. Investigators allege that Kuznetsov “accepted a bribe from representatives of commercial structures for performing certain actions on their behalf.”
Law enforcement reportedly raided Kuznetsov’s home, where they confiscated over $1 million worth of rubles, foreign currency, gold coins, collectible watches, and luxury items.
A law enforcement source reportedly told the state news agency TASS that Kuznetsov was arrested “after the interrogation of a second defendant in the case who testified against the general.” Kuznetsov could face up to 15 years in prison under the charges.
Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and state media outlets first reported Kuznetsov’s arrest on Monday evening. Online court records indicate that a Moscow military court held a remand hearing against someone with Kuznetsov’s full name on Monday, though it’s unclear what restraint measures were selected.
Kuznetsov’s arrest marks the second arrest of a high-ranking Defense Ministry official for alleged corruption in recent weeks. In late April, the Russian authorities arrested Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov for taking over a billion rubles (over $10 million) in bribes. Media reports following the arrest suggested that the corruption charges against Ivanov were meant to cover up a more serious treason investigation, but his lawyer has denied this.
On May 12, Vladimir Putin removed Sergey Shoigu from his post as Russia’s defense minister and appointed him as the secretary of the Russian Security Council. Shoigu led the Defense Ministry for nearly 12 years, from November 2012 to May 2024. Andrey Belousov, a longtime presidential economic adviser who’s served as a deputy prime minister since 2020, is his replacement.
