Russian Court Sentences Corrupt General

Russia: a general was convicted of embezzling RUB 25 million linked to the construction of the Patriot park and the well-known Russian Armed Forces cathedral.

According to Russian media reports, the Odintsovo Garrison Military Court sentenced Vladimir Shesterov, former Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for Innovative Development at the Russian Ministry of Defence, to six years in a general-regime penal colony and imposed a fine.

Judge Alexey Korostelyov read the verdict, stating: “By partially merging the sentences, he is to serve a total term of six years imprisonment in a general-regime penal colony and pay a fine of 500,000 rubles.”

The court also ordered Shesterov to pay over RUB 24 million: RUB 18 million to the Ministry of Defence and more than RUB 6 million to the Patriot park.

He was stripped of his rank as reserve Major General, the “For Merit to the Fatherland” medals of the first and second degrees, as well as departmental awards. Additionally, he was banned from holding leadership positions in government bodies and local self-government for two years following the completion of his sentence.

The court seized Shesterov’s vehicles: a Skoda Karoq, Nissan Qashqai, Volkswagen, and a Peugeot belonging to his ex-wife. However, the court did not take action regarding the defendant’s Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Media outlet reporters noted from the courtroom that Shesterov had pleaded with the court not to impose a real prison sentence and not to strip him of his military rank.

Also accused in the case are the former director of the Patriot park, Vyacheslav Akhmedov, and former Deputy Minister of Defence of Russia, Pavel Popov. According to the prosecution, between 2022 and 2024, the defendants submitted false information regarding the completion of construction work at Patriot and embezzled over RUB 25 million. As a result, the losses suffered by the Russian Ministry of Defence were classified as especially large.

The Patriot park is a large-scale military-patriotic center that was opened in 2015 near Kubinka in the Moscow region, initiated by the Russian Ministry of Defence. Its creation was promoted as a “response” to Western military exhibitions and centers, while also aiming to foster patriotism among citizens, especially the youth.

The construction of the park was accompanied by extensive propaganda; however, over the years, numerous scandals emerged around the project related to finances, corruption, and ideological content. One particularly notable controversy involved the construction of the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces: mosaics inside the cathedral featured images of Vladimir Putin, Defenсe Minister Sergei Shoigu, and Joseph Stalin, which were later removed following public outcry.

The cost of constructing the architectural complex is unknown, but experts estimate that between 2014 and 2020, at least RUB 50–60 billion (approximately $600–800 million at the exchange rate of that time) were spent on its construction.

One of the largest corruption scandals involved Lieutenant General Yuri Sadovenko, the Deputy Minister of Defence, who was accused of massive embezzlement during the construction of the park’s facilities. According to the investigation, he organized schemes involving fictitious contracts, inflated costs, and kickbacks to contractors.

The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation and Chief Military Prosecutor’s Office allege that Sadovenko was involved in embezzlement totaling at least RUB 100 million, though the overall amounts reach into the hundreds of millions of rubles.

According to unofficial information from independent journalist investigations (such as those by Proekt and IStories), the embezzled or laundered funds amount to between RUB 500 million and 1 billion (approximately $6–12 million at the exchange rate of that period).