Russian deputy governor resigns and volunteers for army, only to be arrested hours later for embezzlement

Krasnodar Krai Deputy Governor Alexander Vlasov was arrested hours after resigning and volunteering for military service in Ukraine, raising questions about his motivations for setting aside public office to take up arms.

Vlasov, who had served as deputy governor since September 2020, announced on the morning of September 29 that he would join Russia’s “Kuban” brigade for combat duty. By the afternoon, however, police were searching his office on allegations that he had embezzled state subsidies intended for soldiers at the front. 

A new law enacted in October 2024 grants criminal defendants the right to suspend legal proceedings against them if they volunteer for military service in Ukraine. Officials formally granted this right to convicts as early as 2023, though prisoner-soldiers have bolstered Russia’s ranks since the early days of the invasion.