Major General Nikitushkin, Responsible for Modernizing Tank Training Ranges, Arrested in Russia

In Russia, a military court remanded Major General Sergey Nikitushkin, head of the Training and Material Support Department of the Main Directorate for Combat Training of the Russian Armed Forces, into custody.

This was reported by the Russian newspapers Kommersant and The Moscow Times.

The high-ranking Russian military officer was arrested and sent to a pretrial detention center as part of a criminal case, the details of which have not yet been disclosed.

It is known that 51-year-old Nikitushkin was directly involved in the war against Ukraine.

The Russian officer was awarded the rank of major general by Vladimir Putin in December 2024.

According to the propaganda Telegram channel Mash, the Major General was responsible within the agency for the modernization of tank training grounds on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The Main Directorate for Combat Training of the Russian Armed Forces is responsible for training military personnel and coordinating the activities of military command structures.

This agency also oversees the development of training facilities and equipment and provides Russian troops with the necessary resources for training.

Previously, Nikitushkin complained about a lack of funding to purchase the training simulators for armored vehicle crews, communications specialists, UAV operators, and personnel using night-vision devices.

In addition, the Main Directorate for Combat Training oversees the “Patriot” fleet, where large-scale embezzlement had previously been uncovered.

In this case, former Deputy Minister of Defense, Army General Pavel Popov, and former Deputy Chief of the Main Directorate for Innovative Development of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Major General Vladimir Shesterov, have already been sentenced to prison terms.

In August, Yevgeny Grigoryev, the CEO of the TulaDrone Scientific and Production Center for Unmanned Aerial Systems, was detained in Russia.