A former Russian defense official was DETAINED Thursday on FRAUD charges, according to Russian state-run media, marking the latest arrest of a senior military figure in the country.
Pavel Popov, who served as deputy defense minister from 2013 until his dismissal by presidential decree in June 2024, faces up to 10 years in prison if charged and convicted.
The arrest appears to be part of a broader crackdown on abuse of office in the upper echelons of Russia’s military. Popov is the eighth top military figure to be arrested on charges related to bribery, fraud and abuse of office in recent months.
The case against Popov is linked to business activities at Moscow’s Patriot Park, a complex created to foster patriotism among younger Russians, featuring an air base, museums and a Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces.
Popov, who led the park’s development, is accused of renovating his own properties in the Moscow area at the park’s expense and forcing contractors to work for him without payment.
Svetlana Petrenko from Russia’s Investigative Committee told state news outlet Tass that Popov forced Patriot Park contractors to work on “out-of-town apartments without paying for them.”
Investigators are examining Popov’s properties, valued at $5.5 million, to determine if they were acquired legally, Petrenko said.
