High-Ranking National Guard Ex-Officer Detained for Corruption and Misuse of Power

A former high-ranking official from Russia’s National Guard has been detained on allegations of bribery and abuse of power, marking another incident in a series of arrests within this influential internal security organization, as reported by state-run media on Monday.

Viktor Strigunov, who held the position of first deputy director of the National Guard until late 2023, was arrested by law enforcement officials, according to the TASS news agency.

A representative from Russia’s Investigative Committee, responsible for examining serious crimes, confirmed to RIA Novosti that Strigunov is under scrutiny regarding a significant state construction project in the Kemerovo region of Siberia.

Investigators claim that in 2014, while overseeing a multimillion-dollar government contract for a training facility in Kemerovo, Strigunov authorized the continuation of the project despite existing limitations that should have halted it.

The project was ultimately never finished, leading to over 2 billion rubles (approximately $25 million) in losses for the state, stated the Investigative Committee representative.

Additionally, Strigunov is accused of receiving over 66 million rubles (around $850,000) in bribes from private sector representatives between 2012 and 2014. These payments were allegedly made in return for his protection and support in carrying out significant government construction contracts.

A seasoned member of the force, Strigunov was appointed as first deputy director of the National Guard in January 2020 after serving as the head of the National Guard’s Siberian District.

Although he resigned from his official role in the fall of 2023, he persisted in his advisory position to the agency’s director, Viktor Zolotov, a close associate of President Vladimir Putin and former chief of the presidential security service.

This case is part of a wider crackdown on corruption that has seen several senior figures within Rosgvardia—the agency created in 2016 with responsibilities including riot control, anti-terrorism, and internal security—targeted for criminal activities.

Since February, at least three other senior officials have been detained on corruption charges. Major General Konstantin Ryabykh was arrested in connection with a significant bribery scandal, while in March, Nikolai Chepkasov, the head of the Guard’s Main Center for Information Technologies, faced similar allegations.

In April, Major General Mikhail Varentsov, who led Rosgvardia’s Department for Digital Development and Information Protection, was also apprehended on fraud-related charges in Moscow.