Another high-ranking Russian general was arrested. Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin, deputy chief of the Army General Staff, is suspected of accepting large-scale bribes, according to Russian media reports. Until now, Shamarin has served directly under the command of Chief of Staff General Gerasimov, the commander of all Russian forces in the war against Ukraine.

Details about what Sjamarin is suspected of were not revealed, according to the court, because that might harm the investigation. Quoted by Interfax news agency Based on sources That Sjamarin manipulated defense contracts.

Sjamarin will face 15 years in prison and a fine of one hundred times the amount of the bribe. Russian newspaper Kommersant He writes That his house had been ransacked.

Sjamarin’s arrest is the fourth in which a senior defense official has been arrested within a short period. A month ago, Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was arrested on suspicion of fraud. This was followed by the Chief of Defense Staff and the former Commander of the 58th Army, both generals.

In addition to the arrests, President Putin recently made another major shake-up at the Defense Ministry, shortly after being re-elected. His close friend Sergei Shoigu, who headed the department for 12 years, was replaced by economist Andrei Belousov.

Shoigu was appointed Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, which was considered a demotion.