Wave of Corruption Investigations Sweeps Through Russian Regional Governments in 2025

An increasing number of regional officials in Russia are currently under investigation for corruption as authorities ramp up their efforts to combat alleged misconduct within regional administrations.

At least 28 senior officials, including regional ministers, deputy governors, and their aides, have been implicated in investigations involving a variety of charges, such as bribery, fraud, embezzlement, and misuse of authority since the beginning of this year, according to data collected by the independent Telegram news outlet ChTD.

Many of these cases are focused on the construction of defense fortifications in Russian regions adjacent to Ukraine.

This week saw continued arrests, including Maxim Yegorov, the former governor of the Tambov region, who resigned last November and was detained on Wednesday on suspicion of accepting bribes.

On the same day, law enforcement in the Chelyabinsk region apprehended Eldar Belousov, the regional minister of state property management; Roman Menzhinsky, the governor’s chief of staff; and former Vice Governor Alexander Bogashov.

All three are facing charges of abusing their official powers for personal enrichment, a crime that carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

In April, authorities initiated a prominent investigation into former Kursk region Governor Alexei Smirnov and his deputy, Alexei Dedov, who resigned at the end of 2024. Both were arrested on suspicion of defrauding the state in connection with the construction of border fortifications in the Kursk region, parts of which were captured by Ukrainian forces during a significant cross-border offensive last August.

In their testimonies, Smirnov and Dedov implicated former Governor Roman Starovoit, who was found dead in an apparent suicide shortly after President Vladimir Putin removed him from his position as transportation minister in early July.

A broader investigation into similar initiatives in the neighboring Belgorod region has also led to numerous arrests.

On Sunday, investigators detained former regional capital construction head Alexei Soshnikov along with two subordinates, Larisa Streletskaya and Andrei Reshetko, under suspicion of significant embezzlement.

Previously, Vice Governor Rustem Zainullin and two businessmen, Ivan Novikov and Konstantin Zimin, were arrested regarding the alleged misappropriation of budget funds designated for defense infrastructure.

In the Bryansk region, authorities arrested Vice Governor Nikolai Simonenko on Thursday on charges of abuse of office linked to fortification efforts. A Moscow court has ordered his detention until at least September 21.