Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov has been taken into custody and is under investigation for allegedly leveraging his post for personal benefit, the Russian Investigative Committee announced on Thursday.
The accusations center on Popov’s activities between 2021 and 2024 and the role he played in developing the massive military-themed Patriot Park outside the Russian capital. President Vladimir Putin fired him from his position in the Defense Ministry in mid-June.
Investigators claim that Popov pressured contractors hired to work at the state-owned entertainment and education center to provide free building materials and services for his personal property in Moscow Region. Some of the projects were billed to the government rather than being done by the companies at a loss, the statement said.
The scheme was allegedly run by Popov in conspiracy with former Patriot Park director Vyacheslav Akhmedov and Vladimir Shesterov, another senior military official embroiled in the investigation. Both were arrested earlier this month and stand accused of embezzlement.
Patriot Park opened in 2015 near the famed Kubinka Tank Museum in Moscow Region. It stretches over 3,500 hectares and hosts the Armed Forces Cathedral, several museums, a convention center, and other premises. It recently hosted an exhibition of NATO-manufactured heavy weapons, which Russian troops captured from Ukrainian forces.