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Another top Russian defense official arrested in corruption case – media Another top Russian defense official arrested in corruption case
(about 5 hours later)
Lieutenant General Vadim Shamarin, the deputy chief of the General Staff, is reportedly suspected of taking a bribe Lieutenant General Vadim Shamarin, the deputy chief of the General Staff, has been accused of taking a bribe
The Russian authorities have arrested Vadim Shamarin, the head of the Main Directorate of Communications at the Ministry of Defense, for alleged involvement in a bribery case, officials have told Russian media. Shamarin is the fourth senior Russian defense figure to have been arrested in criminal cases in the last two months. The Russian authorities have arrested Vadim Shamarin, the head of the Main Directorate of Communications at the Ministry of Defense, for alleged involvement in bribery, the Investigative Committee has confirmed.
An official with the 235th Garrison Military Court said on Thursday, as quoted by several Russian media outlets, that Lieutenant General Shamarin is suspected of receiving a large bribe. If found guilty, he faces up to 15 years in prison. Lieutenant General Shamarin is the fourth senior Russian defense figure to have been arrested on criminal charges in the last two months.
The 53-year-old has served as the head of Russia’s Main Directorate of Communications, a communications role, since 2021. He is also a deputy to the chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov. The 53-year-old signals officer “is suspected of receiving a bribe on an especially large scale,” Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said on Thursday.
The court official said, as quoted by RBK, that Shamarin had been detained for two months on Wednesday. Kommersant reported, citing sources, that the lieutenant general had been taken into the Main Military Investigative Office of Russia’s Investigative Committee for questioning following a search as part of a bribery case. “According to the investigation, in the period from April 2016 to October 2023, Shamarin received a bribe from the general director of the ‘Telta’ Perm Telephone Plant, Alexey Vysokov, and the company’s chief accountant Elena Grishina, in the amount of 36 million rubles (approximately $400,000),” Petrenko said. 
Shamarin is not the first defense official in this post to be implicated in a criminal case. His predecessor, Khalil Arslanov, was accused of large-scale fraud in 2020. According to TASS, at the time, the official was suspected of embezzling 6.7 billion rubles ($74 million). Kommersant reported in 2022 that Arslanov’s case would be heard behind closed doors due to its sensitivity. The 235th Garrison Military Court has ordered Shamarin to remain in custody pending trial. If found guilty, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
Shamarin has served as the head of Russia’s Main Directorate of Communications since 2021. He is also a deputy to the chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov. Vysokov and Grishina also face criminal charges and are in custody.
Shamarin is not the first defense official in this post to be implicated in a criminal case. His predecessor Khalil Arslanov was accused in 2020 of embezzling 6.7 billion rubles ($74 million). 
The arrest of Shamarin follows a string of similar cases in recent weeks. In late April, Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was arrested as part of a corruption case. In May, similar allegations were made against the head of the Main Personnel Directorate of the Defense Ministry, Yury Kuznetsov, and Ivan Popov, who once commanded the 58th Army in the Ukraine conflict.The arrest of Shamarin follows a string of similar cases in recent weeks. In late April, Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was arrested as part of a corruption case. In May, similar allegations were made against the head of the Main Personnel Directorate of the Defense Ministry, Yury Kuznetsov, and Ivan Popov, who once commanded the 58th Army in the Ukraine conflict.