A senior Russian Defence Ministry official, Major General Vladimir Shesterov, was sentenced to six years in prison on Thursday after being convicted of fraud and forgery tied to an embezzlement scheme at Patriot Park, a prominent military theme park near Moscow.
The verdict was reported by Russia’s RIA state news agency.
Shesterov, who was detained in August last year, was found guilty of falsifying documents related to construction work valued at approximately 26 million roubles (about $332,000). The work was purportedly carried out at Patriot Park, a sprawling, war-themed tourist attraction showcasing Russian and Soviet military hardware and offering interactive experiences such as tank rides and combat simulations.
According to investigators, Shesterov and Vyacheslav Akhmedov, the former director of Patriot Park who is also in custody, submitted forged documents to cover up the embezzled funds. Both men have admitted guilt. “I am to blame, I don’t whitewash myself, I sincerely repent,” Shesterov said in court, as quoted by RIA. Akhmedov has also entered a guilty plea in his ongoing trial.
The case has drawn broader scrutiny due to its ties to other high-ranking officials. Among them is former Deputy Defence Minister Pavel Popov, who is also under investigation. Prosecutors allege that Popov directed Shesterov and Akhmedov to construct luxury personal properties—including a two-storey residence, a guest house with a sauna, and a garage—on land he owned, all allegedly funded by the Defence Ministry.
Popov, who previously denied any wrongdoing, has not been convicted, and his trial remains ongoing.
The Patriot Park scandal is one of several high-profile corruption cases that have recently rocked the Russian military establishment, highlighting deeper accountability issues within the defence sector. The park itself, while branded as a patriotic educational space, also features a photo gallery of Russian soldiers involved in the ongoing war in Ukraine, which Moscow officially refers to as a “special military operation.”
Melissa Enoch
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