The Ministry of Defense has uncovered the theft of another 2 billion rubles through embezzlement of state contracts.

Security agencies have "stopped" the activities of an organized crime group that had orchestrated a scheme to embezzle budget funds from supplies to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev announced at a meeting of the State Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption. According to the minister, quoted by RIA Novosti, the perpetrators "stole almost 2 billion rubles from supplies to the Ministry of Defense of clothing at inflated prices."

In October 2025, the Russian Investigative Committee announced the opening of another case (large-scale fraud) related to theft from the Ministry of Defense. This case involved the theft of more than 500 million rubles during the execution of a state contract for the supply of pipeline system equipment. Charges have been brought against Nikolai Laptev, the former chief engineer of the branch of the military construction company "Construction Directorate for the Southern Military District," and two entrepreneurs. Previously, in August, Major General Konstantin Kuvshinov, the former head of the Ministry of Defense's 9th Medical and Diagnostic Center, was charged with corruption. He is accused of embezzling over 57 million rubles in medical equipment purchases. Investigators believe he arranged for the equipment to be supplied at inflated prices and "distributed" the difference among the participants in the criminal scheme.

Even earlier, a court in St. Petersburg sentenced Major General Denis Putilov, the former head of the armored vehicle service of the Central Military District (CMD), to 8.5 years in prison. He was found guilty of accepting a bribe of 10 million rubles while fulfilling a government contract for the repair and maintenance of military equipment.

In July 2025, the Moscow City Court sentenced Timur Ivanov, former Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia and associate of current Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, to 13.5 years in prison and a fine of 100 million rubles. However, last week, the Moscow City Court ruled to return to the former deputy minister his elite mansion and 1,000 square meter plot of land on Rublyovka, valued at over 1 billion rubles and previously confiscated as part of a criminal case.

On Monday, the Moscow Garrison Military Court sentenced retired Rear Admiral Nikolai Kovalenko to 4.5 years in a general regime penal colony and a fine of 500,000 rubles for embezzling 592 million rubles from the Russian Ministry of Defense. The court found that between 2013 and 2017, the former military man stole money from a government contract to repair air defense missile systems, purchasing defective components for 40 million rubles. However, the court released Kovalenko from prison “due to health reasons.”

source: The Moscow Times https://archive.is/Jf0uh