Chief of General Staff's deputy arrested in Moscow

Vadim Shamarin, head of the Main Communications Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces (photo: Russian media)

High-ranking generals continue to be detained in Russia. Lieutenant General Vadim Shamarin, head of the Main Communications Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, has been arrested for two months on charges of accepting a large bribe, according to Kommersant.

Shamarin is also the deputy Chief of the General Staff under Valery Gerasimov.

A source within the security forces informed that a search was conducted in the criminal case against the general. As a result, Shamarin was taken for questioning to the Main Military Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia.

The court reported that Shamarin was arrested for two months for accepting a particularly large bribe.

Arrests of corrupt generals

Several high-ranking generals have been arrested in Moscow recently. In April, Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was arrested on corruption charges. In May, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yuri Kuznetsov was arrested on suspicion of involvement in a bribery scheme. Also in May, former commander of the 58th Army of the Southern Military District, Ivan Popov, was arrested on fraud charges.

Moreover, in a move that has significant implications for the Russian political landscape, after assuming office for his fifth presidential term, Vladimir Putin dismissed Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, appointing him as Secretary of the National Security Council. Nikolai Patrushev, who had headed the Security Council since 2008, became Putin's aide.