More than two years after the start of full expansion war against Ukraine and an endless series of reports about dysfunction and chaos within the Russian militarythe Kremlin now openly admits that its army is a complete mess.
The latest indication came with the arrest of Russia’s fourth high-ranking military officer in a month on Thursday: Deputy Army Chief Lieutenant General Vadim Shamarin is being held in pre-trial detention and faces up to 15 years in prison. prison for corruption charges. The Investigative Committee claims that Shamarin accepted bribes “on a large scale” when awarding state contracts.
The fall of Shamarin, responsible for military communications in Ukraine, was welcomed by Russian troops, who blamed the general’s poor professional performance for thousands of deaths on the battlefield.
They also seemed like posthumous greetings from the founder of the Wagner Group Evgeny Prigozhin, whose furious demands for the removal of the military leadership during their brief mutiny last year appear to be increasingly bearing fruit. He got his wish earlier this month to see Sergei Shoigu removed as defense minister, and now the Kremlin’s purge of military leaders has come ever closer. Valery GerasimovChief of the General Staff.
Perhaps it is no coincidence that Telegram channels linked to Wagner reaffirmed Prigozhin’s comment from a year ago this week that “Shoigu and Gerasimov turned this war into entertainment and, because of their whims, five times more expensive died than they should have.”
Even with Shamarin’s arrest, it’s clear that many soldiers still hold a grudge.
“Even 15 years in prison is nothing” compared to the “several thousand people who literally died” due to the poor communications he provided, a Telegram channel linked to Wagner wrote.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, patted itself on the back for the anti-corruption wave, while insisting that there is no widespread purge underway, despite four senior officials falling in quick succession.
“The fight against corruption is an ongoing effort. It’s not a campaign. It is an integral part of the activities of law enforcement agencies,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
Former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was the biggest name to be arrested last month, followed by the head of the Defense Ministry’s personnel directorate, Yury Kuznetsov, and former army commander Major General Ivan Popov (who investigators have since asked to release under house arrest). All face corruption-related charges.
It remains unanswered why Moscow only embarked on this anti-corruption fight now, long after reports of humiliating battlefield losses and widespread dysfunction exposed the rot at the heart of the army.
It seems telling that the Kremlin is cleaning house as it becomes increasingly dependent on China to keep the war machine running. On his visit to China last week, Putin appeared to fawn over corruption-obsessed Chinese President Xi Jinping, revealing that his family was learning Mandarin and calling himself and his Chinese counterpart “as close as brothers.” All of this, of course, occurred at a time when the Russian leader needs an ally more than ever – preferably an ally with money. Which would explain why Putin had the governor of Russia’s Central Bank, his finance minister and his economic adviser in tow.
Get the Daily Beast’s biggest news and scandals delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now.
Stay informed and get unlimited access to the Daily Beast’s unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25550574/adt_2.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1 "ADT admits security breach after hackers announce stolen data on dark web")
