Russian Corruption Leads to Battlefield Losses
23 Dec 2023 ( Express.co.uk )
One of Vladimir Putin’s top generals in charge of Russia’s “Satan-2” nuclear weapons has been arrested.
Lieutenant General Oleg Frolov, 61, was charged along with two other alleged co-conspirators.
Frolov, who is the deputy director of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, has been accused of stealing £4 million from the Russian state.
He is the latest in a string of high-profile officials to have their position placed under scrutiny.
Since the start of Putin’s war in Ukraine, dozens of powerful business, military, and political leaders have been detained or died.
Frolov’s arrest comes after the death of Evgeny Postrigan, a space executive who had been working on a top secret project for Putin.
Frolov oversaw the development and production of Roscosmos’ latest weapons, including the Satan-2, which is the world’s largest ballistic missile at 208 tons.
The doomsday nuclear weapon is reportedly equal to the size of a 14-storey tower block.
Putin has claimed the missile is “unstoppable” as it flies into space and threatens enemies below.
But there have been rumours that the weapon has not been properly tested and may be delayed until the end of 2024.
The Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement: “Frolov used his office to conspire with two other co-participants in the crime.
“During the performance of a contract, they stole at least 435 million roubles of public funds intended for the purchase of equipment.”
Frolov and his co-conspirators could face up to 10 years in prison if they are convicted.
The general was also involved in Putin’s hypersonic weapons agency, which produced the “meteorite” nuclear-capable hypersonic missile Avangard. The weapon can reportedly target at 27 times the speed of sound.
Yevgeny Fomichev, the director of research at Geophysics-Cosmos, is believed to have worked closely with Frolov and has also been detained.
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