Support The Moscow Times!

Head of Moscow Military Draft Office Arrested for Bribery

The head of military draft offices in Moscow has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in large-scale bribe taking in exchange for helping scores of young men in the Russian capital avoid army conscription, the Interfax news agency reported Tuesday.

A Moscow city court has placed Alexander Simonov — who headed the training and conscription department of the city's military commissariat — under arrest until May 5, court spokeswoman Yunona Tsareva was quoted as saying. He is charged with abetting large-scale bribery, she said.

An unidentified official familiar with the case said investigators brought bribe-taking charges against Simonov in December, and added the charge of bribe-taking by an organized group early this year, Interfax reported.

The case involves dozens of bribes, together worth several millions of rubles (tens of thousands of dollars), allegedly received by a network of draft officials in the Moscow city and region, the unidentified source was quoted as saying.

Moscow's military prosecutor Vladislav Prikhodchenko said Monday that several officials have been detained on suspicion of involvement in an illegal “scheme” for helping young men avoid military draft by using fake medical certificates, Interfax reported.

Charges are also likely to be brought against doctors who issued false certificates declaring draftees unfit for military service, and against young men who avoided army conscription, another unidentified official was quoted by Interfax as saying.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more