The administration of the Patriot Park of the Ministry of Defense in Kubinka near Moscow was searched. The Mash telegram channel was the first to report this, subsequently posting footage from the scene. TASS and RBC also wrote about this with reference to sources.
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The Mash video shows men in civilian clothes taking sealed boxes with papers out of the building of the Patriot Park control center.
It is unknown what the search is connected with.
Mash assumes that it is taking place as part of the criminal case of former Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov. He oversaw the construction of the park as the general director of the Oboronstroy subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. TASS, citing its source, denies the connection between today's searches and Ivanov.
Later, TASS, citing a source in law enforcement agencies, reported that the searches were related to the theft of more than 40 million rubles during government procurement, and investigative actions were being carried out, including with the director of the park, Vyacheslav Akhmedov. The same information was provided by Mash without reference to the source.
Construction of the Patriot Park began in June 2014, when Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Moscow Region Governor Vorobyov laid the first stone for Odintsovo. A year later, in June 2015, a Convention and Exhibition Center was opened there and the Army weapons exhibition was held. A few months later, Vladimir Putin awarded Timur Ivanov the title “Honored Builder of the Russian Federation.”
According to Kommersant calculations based on procurement data, more than 20 billion rubles were allocated for construction in the first six months of 2015. According to a 2019 investigation by The Insider, maintaining the park costs 250 million rubles a year. These contracts were received by companies associated with Yevgeny Prigozhin and the family of Arkady Rotenberg.
In the fall of 2018, construction began on the main temple of the Armed Forces in Patriot Park. The military told Dozhd that they were forced to make donations for him. The leadership of the Ministry of Defense called the donations voluntary. According to The Insider, among the donors to the fund involved in construction there were also many budget organizations and government departments.
Updated at 23:52. Added information from TASS and Mash about the connection between the search and the theft of 40 million rubles during government procurement.