Russian officials are struggling to tackle “massive” corruption in the country’s defence sector, according to UK intelligence.
A wave of arrests and criminal proceedings have been launched against those allegedly responsible for the misappropriation of land and other government-owned property.
It comes as the third anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine draws nearer with no end to the conflict in sight.
In their latest intelligence update, the Ministry of Defence said three individuals were remanded in custody last month “on charges of misappropriation of real estate belonging to the Russian ministry of defence”.
Among the suspects are the former head of the department responsible for kitting out Russian troops.
Meanwhile, former Russian national guard deputy director Sergei Meileiko is also facing corruption charges for inflating the price of uniforms by more than $4.2 million (£3.3m).
The MoD said: “Arrests and criminal proceedings against defence and defence industry officials have continued apace since spring 2024, as Russian investigative authorities almost certainly attempt to achieve a level of control over the massive scale of corruption in the Russian defence sector, for both practical and demonstrative political reasons.”
It emerged last month that Vladimir Putin is looking to remove some elements of corruption from his government – but not all of them.
The MoD said this apparent effort to weed out corruption is not all it might appear to be.
“The goal of Russian authorities is almost certainly not the eradication of corruption entirely; this behaviour is fundamental to the functioning of the regime,” the UK said in October.
“Instead, Russian authorities are likely seeking to limit corruption to more manageable levels that have a less drastic impact of the function of [each] department.”