Russian police official arrested days after taking top logistics post

The newly appointed head of the logistics and service centre of Russia’s Interior Ministry department in the Moscow Region has been detained over the embezzlement of fuel designated for police vehicles, just six days after taking office.

The Meshchansky District Court in Moscow ordered the detention of Gennady Peshkov on September 16. Peshkov was appointed head of the Centre for Economic and Service Support of the Main Directorate of the Interior Ministry for the Moscow Region on September 10.

According to Russian media reports, including the pro-Kremlin Mash Telegram channel, Peshkov is accused of embezzlement on an especially large scale.

Investigators allege that fuel allocated for police vehicles was illegally transferred to the Trassa network of filling stations, resulting in a shortage of fuel for police vehicles in the Moscow Region. The alleged damage is estimated at around 600 million rubles.

Peshkov’s predecessor, Alexey Suyarov, was previously arrested in the same case. Another person under investigation is Sergei Malkov, deputy head of the Moscow Region Interior Ministry’s Main Directorate and a major general.

By Vafa Guliyeva