Law enforcement authorities in southwestern Russia’s Kursk region arrested the CEO of a company responsible for constructing border fortifications, the state-run news agency TASS reported Friday, citing police.
Vladimir Lukin, general director of the Kursk Region Development Corporation, faces charges of abuse of authority for allegedly misusing 173 million rubles ($1.7 million) during the construction of fortifications along the Russia-Ukraine border. Investigators accuse Lukin of authorizing double payments to contractors for work already completed and paid for.
Lukin’s arrest follows that of Igor Grabin, the company’s deputy director, who was arrested last week as part of the same investigation. Grabin faces identical charges, with investigators claiming Lukin issued illegal orders that led to the misuse of budget funds allocated for the fortifications.
During a search of Lukin’s property, law enforcement agents found nearly 2 million rubles ($20,000) in cash and a collection of luxury watches, police sources told TASS.
Scrutiny over the Kursk region’s border defenses has intensified since August, when Ukrainian forces launched a surprise cross-border incursion, reportedly meeting minimal resistance.
In October, police searched the business of controversial regional lawmaker Maxim Vasilyev, who had faced accusations of border defense failures. Vasilyev publicly blamed filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov for “sensationalizing” the situation.
Mikhalkov, a state television host, claimed that Kursk officials embezzled 15 billion rubles ($146 million) earmarked for fortification projects.
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