19 years of imprisonment for Pavel Popov, former Deputy Minister of Defense in Russia, in one of the harshest corruption verdicts pronounced against the military leadership of Russia.

A Russian military court sentenced Pavel Popov, former deputy minister of defense, to 19 years in prison for corruption on Friday, according to the RIA news agency, cited by Reuters. This represents the harshest sentence in a series of corruption cases involving high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Defense.

Popov, at the age of 69, was arrested in the summer of 2024 on suspicion of fraud related to the construction of the Patriot Park, a military tourist attraction near Moscow. Although he pleaded not guilty, investigators found that, starting in 2021, Popov diverted construction materials for personal use.

He joins at least 12 officials involved in corruption scandals within the Ministry of Defense, including Major General Vladimir Shesterov, who was sentenced to 6 years in prison last year. Other recent convictions include a former deputy minister, Timur Ivanov, who received 13 years for bribery.