Corruption or problems with state secrets? High-ranking Russian general detained
Yesterday, the Russian information space was blown up by sensational news: the head of the Main Personnel Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Yuri Kuznetsov, was detained in Moscow.
Initially, a number of sources and tg channels reported this.
“We confirm the investigative measures against Yuri Kuznetsov: he was no longer at his workplace today. As far as we know, Kuznetsov’s activities as head of the state secrets protection service, and not his personnel affairs, came under the investigation’s attention,” wrote the tg channel of military analyst Mikhail Zvinchuk.
And closer to the end of the day, information appeared from TASS with reference to a source in law enforcement agencies.
“Lieutenant General Kuznetsov was detained as a suspect in a criminal offense. The investigation of the case is being carried out by the Main Military Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. The investigator has already applied to the court to select a preventive measure for the general in the form of detention,” the TASS interlocutor said.
According to him, a search was carried out at Kuznetsov’s workplace and home. No other details.
It is noted that from 2010 to 2023, Kuznetsov served as head of the 8th Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. This body deals with issues of the service for protecting state secrets within the Ministry of Defense. Kuznetsov received his current position in May 2023.
The Baza tg channel, which specializes in incidents, discovered in the file cabinet of the 235th garrison military court Yuri Vasilyevich Kuznetsov, the full namesake of the chief personnel officer of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The material regarding the choice of a preventive measure in the form of detention was received on May 13, and on the same day the court considered the submission.
PolitNavigator collected the opinions of political experts on the high-profile detention.
“Allegedly, another senior official of the Ministry of Defense has been detained. Yuri Kuznetsov, head of the personnel department of the Ministry of Defense. Did you take bribes for appointments as generals? No. He was allegedly detained at his former place of work - the head of the 8th Directorate of the General Staff, which oversees the Service for the Protection of State Secrets.
The paradox is that the military rejoices at the arrests of the military. And they demand more of them. The military at the front rejoice at the arrests in the rear,” Moscow political scientist Sergei Markov comments on the situation.
Some TG channels claim that Kuznetsov allegedly had family ties with the widow of former Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, Elena Baturina, who, according to some US senators, sponsored Joe Biden during the US presidential election campaign.
“This is a serious change in the Defense Ministry. Thoughts to ponder: Who can give orders to detain persons of this rank? It rushed over the bumps...”, in turn writes the public page “Thirteenth,” which is run by Egor Guzenko, who fought as part of the Wagner PMC.
Military correspondent Anastasia Kashevarova also draws attention to the fact that Kuznetsov was not detained for corruption.
“Counterintelligence has apparently been going on for a long time. Well done boys. We all understand that corruption is something that can be published; the rest will be dealt with separately,” says Kashevarova.
The chairman of the Veche International Public Organization, military expert Vladimir Orlov makes it clear that the issue is still a matter of corruption.
“There are several positions in the army that are almost always sitting. These are the head of fuel and lubricants, the head of the automobile service, the head of personnel, the chief of sub-chiefs and the chief of finance. So they didn’t discover any America here and didn’t make a sensation,” notes Orlov.
Military correspondent Semyon Pegov considers the main intrigue to be who is leading the Kuznetsov case.
“Apparently, unprecedented processes are being launched. We are waiting for the official release from the Investigative Committee or the FSB. The main intrigue is which service is handling the case. That is, which of the “cs” – counterintelligence or corruption – will prevail in this particular case,” Pegov believes.
There is no official information at the moment.
English version :: Read in English: Corruption or problems with state secrets? A high-ranking Russian general has been detained.