Head of Armored Service Arrested in Russia.

The head of the armored service of the Central Military District was arrested by the Kremlin on September 18 on suspicion of receiving a large bribe. This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The Russian Investigative Committee announced the initiation of a case against the head of the armored service, Denis Putilov, who is accused of receiving a bribe of 10 million rubles ($107,000) in exchange for signing contracts for the repair and maintenance of military equipment for an entrepreneur named Chudinov.

Analysts note that the 90th Tank Division of Russia is located in the Central Military District, and Putilov was likely involved in overseeing the repair and maintenance of tanks and other armored vehicles used by the division in combat operations in Ukraine.

ISW notes that with the arrival of Belousov as the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation in May 2024, criminal cases against the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense have become more frequent, as Belousov declared a fight against corruption and issues of inefficient management that accumulated during the tenure of the previous minister, Shoigu.

“Putilov's connections with Shoigu remain unknown for now, but his arrest indicates that Belousov is trying to crack down on corrupt and inefficient officials responsible for maintaining Russian military assets, particularly armored vehicles.”

Recall that at the end of August, former Deputy Minister of Defense Pavel Popov was arrested in Russia on suspicion of fraud, facing up to 10 years in prison. Popov's son, Roman, had been selling military uniforms and equipment online for two years.

Earlier, it was reported that former Deputy Minister of Defense Dmitry Bulgakov was arrested in Russia due to corruption schemes.

Also, in April of this year, Deputy Minister of Defense Timur Ivanov was arrested in a corruption case. The Basmanny Court of Moscow sent Ivanov to a pre-trial detention center on substantial charges. Ivanov remained in custody until June 23. Another figure in the case, Sergey Borodin, was also arrested.