Former deputy chief of Russian General Staff sentenced to 7 years in prison for corruption

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - A military court in Moscow on Thursday sentenced Lt. Gen. Vadim Shamarin, former deputy chief of Russia’s General Staff, to seven years in a maximum security prison for corruption.

According to the court's press service, Shamarin was found guilty of accepting bribes. He was also stripped of his military rank, and his assets worth 35 million rubles ($425,500) were confiscated.

Prosecutors had initially sought a 12-year sentence and a fine of 107 million rubles ($1.3 million).

Shamarin, who headed the General Staff’s communications directorate, was arrested in May 2024 on allegations of accepting bribes totaling 36 million rubles (some $437,600) from a telephone equipment manufacturer in exchange for favorable state contracts and “general patronage.”

Shamarin was arrested among several high-ranking military officials last year in a broader anti-corruption drive within the Defense Ministry.

The trial was held behind closed doors. A full examination of evidence was waived due to Shamarin’s plea agreement with investigators.

Commenting on the case, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed allegations that the trial was part of a larger political purge following the dismissal of Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, who had come under increasing criticism over the conduct of Russia’s "special military operation" in Ukraine.