Russian authorities have arrested Igor Vasiliev, the general director of the Ministry of Defense's Patriot Park, on suspicion of receiving bribes. Vasiliev was detained the day before and is expected to be held in pre-trial detention for two months. The Ministry of Defense stated it is cooperating fully with investigators and has zero tolerance for corruption.

According to sources familiar with the investigation, the bribes allegedly amount to 80 million rubles. Vasiliev has led Patriot Park since March 2026. Prior to this, he headed Russia's Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography (Rosreestr) and then served as governor of the Kirov region. The investigation also involves two of Vasiliev's deputies, arrested on October 2 for alleged bribery and fraud, with suspicions that they facilitated winning contracts for work that was only performed on paper. Another deputy director was arrested in April for a 18 million ruble bribe. The park's former director, Vyacheslav Akhmedov, was sentenced in 2025 for embezzlement, and former Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov, who oversaw the park, received a 19-year sentence for embezzlement, later reduced to 10 years on appeal.