Russian army commander responsible for Moscow’s air defenses arrested on bribery charges

Russian Major General Konstantin Ogienko, who leads the 1st Special Purpose Air and Missile Defense Army which is responsible for Moscow’s air defenses, has been arrested for bribery.

According to state news agency TASS, the criminal case was opened in July 2023. If found guilty, Ogienko could face up to 15 years in prison. He is in custody until at least November 27.

The newspaper Kommersant writes that Ogienko and Major General Dmitry Belyatsky, commander of Russia’s 4th Air Defense Division, received 500,000 rubles (around $5,078) from the head of the organization Hope. This was the first part of a bribe totaling 30 million rubles (around $300,000), for which the military promised to allocate land for development in Dolgoprudny and Lobnya near Moscow belonging to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Belyatsky partially admitted guilt and made a plea bargain. He was put under house arrest. Ogienko maintains that he is not guilty. He was removed from his post after the criminal case was filed.