Russia arrests the director of its military-themed Patriot Park on suspicion of bribery. (His predecessor was jailed for embezzlement.)
Igor Vasilyev, director general of Patriot Park, has been detained on suspicion of accepting a bribe classified as especially large under Russian law, law enforcement sources told TASS.
Fontanka first reported Vasilyev’s detention. A source told the outlet that the case involves 80 million rubles in bribes. Two of Vasilyev’s deputies were detained before him.
Vasilyev took over at Patriot Park in March 2026. One of his predecessors, Vyacheslav Akhmedov, also faced criminal prosecution: He was detained in 2024 and sentenced to five years in prison in 2025. Akhmedov was convicted of taking part in the theft of 25 million rubles. The money was officially allocated for construction at Patriot Park but was actually used to build a house for former Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov.
Igor Vasilyev previously served in the KGB. Before joining Patriot Park, he was a senator representing the Komi Republic, an auditor at the Accounts Chamber, the head of Rosreestr, and the governor of the Kirov region. As governor, Vasilyev succeeded Nikita Belykh, who was convicted in a bribery case. Vasilyev led the region from 2016 to 2022.
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