Heavy sentence for a Russian general. The Ministry of Defense official was one of Șoigu's deputies

A Russian military court on Friday sentenced Pavel Popov, former deputy of the defense minister, to 19 years in prison for corruption, informs the RIA agency, taken by Reuters.

It is the harshest verdict in a series of similar cases that have shaken the upper echelons of Russia's military system.

Pavel Popov (69), was arrested in the summer of 2024 for fraud related to the construction of the “Patriotic Park”, a military-themed tourist attraction near Moscow where a wide range of Soviet and Russian weaponry is on display.

Popov pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer said he would appeal the sentence, according to the TASS news agency. The general was also fined the ruble equivalent of $1,100,000.

Another former top official of the Ministry of Defense, Major General Vladimir Sesterov, was sentenced in July 2025 to 6 years in prison in connection with the fraud committed during the construction of the park. Also, the director of the park was sent to court.

Investigators claim that Popov, starting in 2021, used building materials intended for the park for his country house.

He is one of more than ten officials who have been arrested in the biggest wave of corruption scandals to hit Russia's Defense Ministry in recent years.

Those arrested were all close to former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whom President Vladimir Putin surprisingly fired two years ago, replacing him with economist Andrei Belousov, in what was seen as a move to ensure tighter management of the vast defense budget and eliminate waste and corruption.

Another former deputy defense minister, Timur Ivanov, was sentenced to 13 years in prison in July 2025 for bribery and embezzlement. A third, Ruslan Talikov, was indicted for similar offenses last month.