The Russian Investigative Committee announced the arrest of former Deputy Minister of Defense, Army General Pavel Popov, on charges of fraud related to the construction and maintenance of the Patriot Park in the Moscow Region.
The news was confirmed by Svetlana Petrenko, a representative of the Investigative Committee.
General Popov served as Deputy Minister from 2021 to 2024. He is accused of orchestrating fraudulent activities that involved using the park's resources for personal gain.
According to the investigation, Popov, along with the park's director, Vyacheslav Akhmedov, and Vladimir Shesterov, the deputy head of the Main Directorate for Innovative Development at the Ministry of Defense, embezzled funds by carrying out construction and repair work on Popov's private property at the park's expense.
"Popov enriched himself at the expense of this institution, acting together with Akhmedov and Shesterov, who were previously brought to criminal responsibility," Petrenko stated.
The investigation revealed that Popov forced commercial partners of Patriot Park to perform construction work on his personal properties without payment. After these properties were developed, he allegedly continued to maintain them using park resources.
Popov's assets, including multiple real estate properties in Moscow, the Moscow Region, and Krasnodar Krai, are under investigation. These properties are valued at over 500 million rubles, and authorities are currently verifying the legality of their acquisition.
General Popov was dismissed from his position as Deputy Minister of Defense on June 17, 2024.
His responsibilities included overseeing the Main Directorate for Information Development and the Department of Information Systems within the Ministry of Defense.
This arrest follows the earlier detainment of Vyacheslav Akhmedov and Major General Vladimir Shesterov, who were charged with embezzling funds allocated for the Patriot Park and its congress and exhibition center in Kubinka, Moscow Region. The investigation into these activities has been expanding, with searches conducted at the Patriot Park site in July.
The scandal surrounding the Patriot Park construction has already led to the arrest of Timur Ivanov, another former Deputy Minister of Defense, on charges of receiving a large-scale bribe.
