Russian army commander responsible for Moscow’s air defenses arrested on
bribery charges
3:00 am, September 7, 2023Source: Meduza
Russian Major General Konstantin Ogienko, who leads the 1st Special
Purpose Air and Missile Defense Army which is responsible for Moscow’s
air defenses, has been arrested for bribery.

According to state news agency TASS, the criminal case was opened in
July 2023. If found guilty, Ogienko could face up to 15 years in prison.
He is in custody until at least November 27.

The newspaper Kommersant writes that Ogienko and Major General Dmitry
Belyatsky, commander of Russia’s 4th Air Defense Division, received
500,000 rubles (around $5,078) from the head of the organization Hope.
This was the first part of a bribe totaling 30 million rubles (around
$300,000), for which the military promised to allocate land for
development in Dolgoprudny and Lobnya near Moscow belonging to the
Russian Defense Ministry.

Belyatsky partially admitted guilt and made a plea bargain. He was put
under house arrest. Ogienko maintains that he is not guilty. He was
removed from his post after the criminal case was filed.

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