Russia's Investigative Committee announced on Thursday, August 29, that it has opened a fraud investigation against Pavel Popov, a former deputy minister of defense, which is another in a series of corruption investigations.
The case against Popov, who has held that position since 2013, is the third investigation of a high-ranking defense official related to the construction of a military theme park.
Major General Vladimir Šesterov and Vyacheslav Akhmedov, director of the Patriotic Park near Moscow, were detained earlier this month on suspicion of fraud.
"Popov, responsible for the construction, maintenance and operation of the Patriotic Park, enriched himself at the expense of this institution," the Investigative Committee stated.
Patriotic Park, a major tourist attraction, displays a vast collection of Russian and Soviet weaponry and offers visitors the chance to climb aboard tanks and participate in battle simulations.
Investigators state that, starting in 2021, Popov diverted various building materials from Patriot Park to his own house outside the city, in order to use it in construction.
Several properties owned by Popov and his family members, worth more than 500 million rubles (about 5,47 million dollars) are being checked as part of the investigation, the investigators added.
Popov thus joined a list of at least 10 officials who, since April, have emerged as part of the biggest wave of corruption scandals to hit Russia's military and defense establishment in years.
After the first arrests in May, President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly removed longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu from his position and replaced him with economist Andrei Belousov.
It was seen as a move to ensure tighter management of Russia's enormous defense budget, and to eliminate corruption and overspending.
Popov (67) graduated from the military academy and served in the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations for 17 years. Shoigu, who is today the secretary of the Russian Security Council, was the head of that ministry from 1991 to 2012.
Bonus video:
