Ex-Russian Defence Ministry general Kuznetsov jailed for 12 years

Former head of the Russian Defence Ministry’s Main Personnel Directorate, General Yury Kuznetsov, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Kuznetsov received a bribe from Krasnodar businessman Leva Martirosyan about four years ago in the form of a plot of land and a house, with their combined value estimated at about 80 million rubles ($934,000).

In October 2025, a court, acting on a lawsuit filed by the Prosecutor General’s Office, seized property belonging to Kuznetsov and his family worth 500 million rubles ($5.83 million).

Kuznetsov and Martirosyan have been held in pre-trial detention since May 2024.

Kuznetsov has also been stripped of his military rank and state decorations.

By Tamilla Hasanova