Russia detains acting deputy governor of Kursk over $13 million embezzlement

Vladimir Bazarov, Acting Deputy Governor of Russia’s Kursk Region, has been detained amid a high-profile corruption investigation involving the misappropriation of approximately 1 billion rubles (around $13 million) intended for the construction of defence fortifications in the Belgorod Region, near the Ukrainian border.

According to a confirmationn by Russian law enforcement agencies to TASS, Bazarov, who previously served as Deputy Governor of the Belgorod Region, is accused of embezzling state funds allocated for building border defences. Authorities are currently conducting searches at his offices in Kursk, seizing computers, laptops, and communication devices as part of the investigation, Caliber.Az reports. 

This case is part of a broader probe that has already seen the arrest of Rustem Zainullin, Deputy Governor of the Belgorod Region, his associate Vyacheslav Avtonomov, and three businessmen: Sergei Petryakov, Ivan Novikov, and Konstantin Zimin. They face charges of large-scale fraud related to the same defense construction contracts.

Separately, Moscow’s Ostankinsky Court is hearing a civil lawsuit filed by the Prosecutor General’s Office demanding the recovery of nearly 925 million rubles ($12 million) from the accused and their associated companies. The prosecution alleges corrupt enrichment and abuse of official positions, including awarding fake contracts for building materials and underground bunkers through shell companies.

By Sabina Mammadli