The Russian Federation tried to overcome corruption through war in Ukraine: details from British intelligence

According to analysts, in the defensive industry of Russians problems with corruption were constantly. After February 2022, she was tried to suppress, because the military campaign is expensive. In the Russian Federation allegedly continue to fight corruption, but real steps are unlikely. The war against Ukraine has become one of the enemy methods. This is stated in the UK Ministry of Defense Intelligence report.

Analysts recalled that on July 26, former Russian Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov was arrested, which was accused of corruption. He held his post from 2008 to 2022. "According to the Russian media, the accusations are related to the purchase of food unusable for servicemen, which was still bought by the Russian Ministry of Defense at inflated prices, probably in exchange for bribery of the then Deputy Minister of Defense Bulgakov," in the message.

British intelligence also noted that corruption in Russia is a constant phenomenon, especially when it comes to the defense industry. At the same time, the Kremlin tolerate this phenomenon within certain limits as they use the necessary level of political patronage. The current Defense Minister Andriy Belousov is allegedly trying to limit corruption practice, but it is still unlikely that he will be able to get rid of it completely.

"The full-scale war in Ukraine has led to the suppression of corruption both in a practical sense to reduce budget spending during a very expensive military campaign, and because political patrons, such as former Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu, lost their direct impact on procurement processes" , - summed up in the UK Ministry of Defense.