General Of The Russian Ministry Of Defense Detained On Alleged Criminal Acts

Illustration of arrests. (Wikimedia Commons/Oregon Department of Transportation)

JAKARTA - Russian law enforcement agencies said the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense's Main Personnel Directorate Lieutenant General Yuri Kuznetsov was detained on suspicion of criminal acts.

"Lieutenant General Yuri Kuznetsov has been detained as a suspect in a criminal act. This case is being investigated by the Main Military Investigation Department of the Russian Investigative Committee," a security source said, launching TASS May 14.

"Investigators have made an approach to the court to choose preventive conditions for the general in the form of maintaining his detention," the source said.

The source further said the search was carried out at the workplace and the house of Lt. Gen. Kuznetsov, but other details regarding the case have not been revealed.

Lt. Gen. Kuznetsov was previously known to lead the 8th Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, which handles matters relating to the Ministry of Defense's services to protect state secrets from 2010 to 2023.

The popular blogger website, Rybar, stated that the investigation may be related to his previous work at the Russian General Staff in charge of state secrets.

Prior to the arrest of Lt. Gen. Kuznetsov, former deputy defense minister, Timur Ivanov, had been detained since last month on charges of accepting large sums of bribes in connection with military construction projects.