A Moscow military court has sentenced former Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Bobov to 19 years in prison on corruption charges. This is the harshest sentence so far in a series of similar cases shaking the highest levels of the Russian military leadership. Bobov (69 years old) was arrested in the summer of 2024 on suspicion of committing fraud related to the construction of the Patriot Park military memorial complex near Moscow. According to investigators, starting in 2021, Bobov diverted various building materials from Patriot Park to his country house. Bobov has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, and his lawyer said he would appeal the verdict. Last month, similar charges were brought against a third individual, Ruslan Tsalykov, who was fined 85 million rubles ($1.10 million). Another former high-ranking defense official, Major General Vladimir Shesterov, was also sentenced to six years in prison in July on fraud charges, also related to the construction of Patriot Park.
