Former Russian Deputy Minister of Defense Pavel Popov was sentenced on Friday to 19 years of imprisonment in a maximum security penal colony for embezzlement. reported the Russian agency RIA Novosti. TASR took over the report from the Reuters agency.
- Former Russian Deputy Minister of Defense Pavol Popov received a nineteen-year prison sentence.
- Popov was detained in August 2024 on suspicion of fraud during the construction of the park.
- Investigators say Popov embezzled funds while overseeing the Patriot project.
- Popov served as Deputy Minister of Defense from November 2013 to June 2024.
- Co-accused Achmedov and Šesterov confessed and received shorter sentences.
Popov was taken into custody in August 2024 on suspicion of committing fraud in connection with construction of the Patriot amusement park with a military theme near Moscow, which is supposed to be a celebration of the Russian army. According to the investigators, he committed embezzlement when he supervised the construction of this complex between 2021 and 2024.
Popov served as Deputy Minister of Defense from November 2013 to June 2024. He was detained roughly three weeks after two other officials connected to the construction of the park were also taken into custody on embezzlement charges. – Viačeslav Akhmedov and Major General Vladimir Šesterov.
Unlike Popov, Akhmedov and Šesterov confessed to their crimes and were sentenced to six and five years in prison. The court also ordered Popov to pay a fine of 85 million rubles (approximately 940,000 euros).
