A Russian general was hauled from his bed at 5am to be taken into detention and now reportedly faces ‘criminal charges over state secrets’.
The arrest of Lt-Gen Yuri Kuznetsov, 55, by heavily armed counterintelligence officers in balaclavas indicates a purge is underway in the Russian defence ministry in the midst of the war with Ukraine. They smashed their way into Kuznetsov’s red brick mansion using crowbars and the top MoD official was “dragged out of bed and taken away for interrogation”.
Kuznetsov is in charge of the ministry’s main personnel department but his detention is seen as linked to his previous role guarding military state secrets. He is a close ally of outgoing defence minister Sergei Shoigu, who was fired this week by Vladimir Putin.
Shoigu’s deputy defence minister Timur Ivanov was arrested last month on corruption charges amid suspicion he will face treason accusations. Now more arrests are expected in the top echelons of the ministry.
Putin has purged the Russian ministry of defence of several officials (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)“Kuznetsov was detained in his own bed,” revealed Telegram channel VChK-OGPU. “Counterintelligence officers came for the general fully armed and acted deliberately harshly. At about 5am on May 13, the security forces in balaclavas and with crowbars ‘took out’ the gates and windows in [his] mansion in Istra district.”
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A source told the channel his wife was also brought in for questioning. “It is known that one of Yuri Kuznetsov’s relatives required medical assistance,” said the channel, alluding to shock from the raid and arrest. His wife is still in the Investigative Committee.” She previously worked in the Committee on Military-Technical Cooperation with Foreign States, the Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces and other military structures. Kuznetsov is a “suspect in a criminal case”, reported military investigators.
“Purges have begun in the ministry of defence, including in relation to people who were somehow soiled in unpleasant episodes,” stated Rybar military channel, which revealed Kuznetsov’s detention. His work heading the state secret protection service was behind his detention, said the channel.
Two other key Shoigu deputy ministers have suddenly quit the ministry. Loyal ally Sergei Tsalikov, 67, and first deputy for military-technical support Alexey Kryvoruchko, 48, former head of the Kalashnikov gun-making enterprise, have left. There is speculation of a coming criminal case against Kryvoruchko over low-quality body armour.
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