In Russia, officials from border regions are being arrested due to the failure of defense in Kursk Oblast - ISW
Kyiv • UNN
In Russia, high-ranking officials from three border regions have been detained, accused of embezzling funds allocated for defensive fortifications. The Kremlin is attempting to shift the blame onto them for the failure to repel the Ukrainian invasion in Kursk Oblast.
In Russia, several high-ranking officials from the leadership of three regions bordering Ukraine have been detained. They are being accused of the failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' invasion of the Kursk region in August 2024. This is reported by UNN with reference to an analytical report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Details
It is noted that on Monday, August 25, Russian law enforcement officers detained the acting deputy governor of the Kursk region, Volodymyr Bazarov.
The detention took place within the framework of a criminal case on the embezzlement of funds allocated for the construction of defensive fortifications in the border areas of the Belgorod region during the official's work in the regional administration.
Acting Governor of the Kursk region Oleksandr Khinshtein stated that Bazarov embezzled one billion rubles (about 12.4 million dollars) from these funds.
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According to ISW, earlier, on similar charges of embezzlement, law enforcement officers detained former governor of the Kursk region Oleksiy Smirnov, former deputy governor of the Bryansk region Mykola Symonenko, and former deputy governor of the Belgorod region Rustem Zainullin.
As analysts from the Institute for the Study of War write, the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, also demonstratively dismissed the Russian Minister of Transport and former governor of the Kursk region, Roman Starovoyt, on July 7 - shortly before his alleged suicide, which occurred on the same day.
ISW remains convinced that these arrests and personnel changes are part of a coordinated effort by the Kremlin to blame officials in border regions for Russia's failure to repel the Ukrainian invasion of the Kursk region in August 2024.
In addition, the Institute suggests that the Kremlin is also trying to shift the blame to local officials for Russia's inability to stop Ukrainian cross-border raids in the Belgorod region in 2023 and 2024.
Recall
On August 6, 2024, the Kursk offensive operation began, as a result of which the Russian army lost more than 77,000 servicemen. The Ukrainian Armed Forces controlled up to 1,300 km² of the Kursk region, disrupting enemy logistics and forming a buffer zone.
We did the incredible: Syrskyi on the Kursk operation07.08.25, 21:40 • 3741 view