Russian ex-Defense Ministry official suspected of embezzling $5.8 million

Vladimir Shishov, the former deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's military property department, is suspected of involvement in the embezzlement of 600 million rubles ($5.8 million), Russian Interior Ministry official Andrey Kurnosenko told the state-owned TASS news agency in an interview published on Dec. 16.

According to the charges, Shishov embezzled 600 million rubles with the help of businessman Dmitry Levchenko, the manager of the RNGS Capital company. The ex-Defense Ministry official served in one of the highest echelons of state service.

Shishov was arrested on suspicion of fraud in October 2023 in a case that the Russian media linked to fraud regarding the supply of timber for Russian troops in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine.

The embezzled money was allocated for a "special infrastructure project," Kurnosenko said.

Since April, several Russian high-ranking military officials have been arrested on charges ranging from bribery to abuse of power after the dismissal of Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov.

In mid-May, Russian President Vladimir Putin also dismissed his longtime ally Sergei Shoigu from the post of defense minister. Shoigu was replaced by former First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov.

Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) recently reported a sharp increase in registered criminal proceedings for bribery in the Russian military.

Transparency International's 2023 corruption perception index saw Russia drop to its worst score in years, while Ukraine's score has improved, continuing the decade-old trend.

Russian authorities block Viber messaging app

Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced on Dec. 13 that it had blocked access to the Viber messaging app.

The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova

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