Putin tries to imitate Russia’s fight against corruption — online.ua

On June 11, 2024By Rgal Nv

Kremlin authorities, led by dictator Vladimir Putin, are trying to emulate the fight against corruption in the defense sector in order to increase trust in military leaders.

Points of attention

Kremlin authorities under Putin are faking the fight against corruption in the defense sector to increase trust in military leadership.
Russia’s new personnel policy, linked to arrests and the appointment of a new defense minister, aims to maximize military resources and get rid of troublesome officials.
The analysis shows that despite Putin’s statements on the fight against corruption, there have been no significant changes in the work of Russian defense departments.
Experts believe that senior management corruption is used as a tool of political pressure and control and as a way to dismiss unnecessary officials.
According to experts, the general level of distrust in leaders is causing a total settling of scores and a struggle for control of military resources under the guise of fighting corruption.

Why did Putin resort to a simulation of fighting corruption in the defense sector?

Journalists of the publication note that for many years the Ministry of Defense of the aggressor countries and other defense departments suffered from corrupt arbitrariness. However, the Kremlin dictator decided to carry out large-scale purges to increase confidence in the military leadership.

So, last month, Andrii Belousov, an economist close to Putin, was appointed head of the Russian Defense Ministry in place of Sergei Shoigu.

Since April this year, five senior officials have been arrested in Russia, including the deputy head of the aggressor country’s Defense Ministry.

The FSB and the Investigative Committee created a special investigative group to root out corruption in the army and prepare new arrests.

Despite Putin’s statements about actively fighting corruption, analysts note that there have been no tangible changes in the working methods of Russian defense departments.

According to Kirill Shamiev, a military analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, Russia’s inherent corruption among the country’s top leaders is used to exert political pressure and control.

When someone needs to be deported, it is almost always possible to use bribery and say that this person has committed a crime and should be put in prison, — explains Shamiev.

Shoigu’s appointment to a new leadership position underlined that Putin values loyalty.

What the analysts say

Kyrylo Shamiev believes that the recent arrests were aimed at instilling fear and respect after Belousov’s appointment as defense minister.

It also clearly shows the Russian public that all the failures of the war are the fault of the military and no one else, especially Putin himself, the analyst notes.

According to Dmitri Minik, an expert on the Russian army at the French Institute of International Relations, the recent arrests were aimed at maximizing military resources.

According to him, the Kremlin uses accusations of corruption as a pretext to get rid of troublesome officials.

According to Minik, this most often indicates a struggle between departments.

The accumulation of discontent with the conduct of the war in Ukraine paves the way for a total settling of scores, carried out with the connivance of the Kremlin, against the backdrop of the influx of resources to the Ministry of Defense and the struggle for control over them , notes the expert.

Why did Putin resort to a simulation of fighting corruption in the defense sector?

What the analysts say

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