A Moscow courtroom despatched former Kursk Oblast Governor Alexei Smirnov to a two-month pre-trial detention middle on April 16 in reference to a fraud case, the press service of Moscow courts reported.
Smirnov and his deputy Alexei Dedov are accused of embezzling over a billion rubles ($12 million) from the price range allotted to the Kursk Oblast Growth Company for the development of fortifications on the border with Ukraine.
Smirnov served as governor of Kursk Oblast from Could to December 2024, throughout which Ukrainian forces launched an incursion into the oblast in August 2024 and managed to occupy a part of the area till March of this yr.
The previous governor pleaded not responsible, Russian state media TASS reported, citing sources in legislation enforcement businesses.
Based on Russia's Inside Ministry, Smirnov and Dedov led a prison group and acted along with the administration of the Kursk Oblast Growth Company to embezzle funds meant for fortifications.
Earlier, legislation enforcement businesses additionally detained three company executives and the heads of unnamed firms that obtained funds however didn’t full the contracted works.
Following Smirnov's resignation as governor in December 2024, Alexander Khinshtein turned the appearing governor of Kursk Oblast.
Ukraine initially seized 1,300 sq. kilometers (500 sq. miles) of Russian territory earlier than Moscow, strengthened by North Korean models, launched a counteroffensive in March.
The Russian push coincided with a short lived pause in U.S. intelligence and army help for Ukraine, which resumed on March 11.
The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima