Kathrine Frich
The case is part of a broader investigation into financial misconduct within the defense sector.
A new corruption case inside Russia’s military establishment has raised serious concerns about how funds tied to the war are being handled. A
uthorities say the scheme involved exploiting the identities of fallen soldiers.
Arrest in Moscow
According to The Moscow Times cited by United24media, a Russian Defense Ministry official has been detained over an alleged large-scale fraud operation.
Nikolai Zhabin, who worked in the ministry’s housing department, was arrested in Moscow and charged with grand fraud and attempted fraud.
Investigators have already seized property worth 5 million rubles, according to the Main Military Investigative Directorate.
Scheme details
Authorities allege that Zhabin used access to personal data of deceased soldiers to carry out the scheme.
He is accused of registering fraudulent military mortgages in the names of relatives of the dead, allowing him to divert state funds for personal gain.
The operation reportedly took place between 2023 and 2024 and involved what investigators described as a “multi-million” embezzlement. Another attempted theft was reportedly stopped by colleagues.
Wider investigation
Zhabin’s arrest follows a series of searches and document seizures, The Moscow Times reported.
His case is linked to a wider anti-corruption probe targeting the Defense Ministry’s housing sector.
Earlier this year, Valery Abramenkov, former head of the state housing agency “Roszhilkompleks,” was also detained.
Billions missing
Abramenkov and his associates are accused of embezzling around 1 billion rubles by inflating costs related to housing maintenance and utilities.
Other employees from the same department have also been implicated in the case.
The investigation suggests the scheme extended across multiple levels of the ministry’s property management system.
Crackdown or cleanup?
The arrests come amid a broader wave of detentions within Russia’s military leadership following the removal of former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Officials say the campaign is aimed at tackling corruption inside the armed forces.
However, the scale of the alleged fraud cases has drawn attention to systemic issues within the military’s financial structures.
Sources: The Moscow Times, United24media.
