The Odintsovo garrison military court near Moscow has sentenced Vladimir Shesterov, former deputy head of the Main Directorate for Innovative Development of the Russian Defence Ministry, to six years in a penal colony. The major-general was deprived of his military rank and state awards.
The investigation considers Shesterov to be a member of a criminal group that organised the embezzlement of 30 million roubles allocated for the operation of the Patriot military-patriotic park near Moscow and the exhibition centre of the same name.
The leader of this group is considered by the investigation to be former Deputy Defence Minister Pavel Popov, who has been under arrest since August 2024. According to the investigation, the military used the stolen money to build him a two-storey house with a bathhouse and a guest house in the Moscow region.
Shesterov testified against him, pleaded guilty and agreed to a special procedure for consideration of the case – without examining the evidence during the trial. At the trial, Shesterov said that he did not receive any profit, but was only responsible for the construction, reports “Kommersant”. He asked not to deprive him of his freedom, rank and awards. The court recovered 24 million rubles from him.