Russian Colonel General jailed for 17 years over corruption

Russian Colonel General Khalil Arslanov, former Deputy Chief of the General Staff, was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Monday following his conviction for bribery and embezzlement.

He was also ordered to pay a fine amounting to more than 24 million rubles, or roughly $305,000.

A closed-door military court found Khalil Arslanov, a colonel general, and others guilty of stealing some 1.6 billion roubles (up to $20.5 million) from state contracts with Voentelecom, a company that provides telecommunications services and equipment to the Russian military.

Arslanov was also found guilty of extorting a 12 million rouble (almost $153,500) bribe from the head of a military communications company, Yaroslavl Radio Plant. 

Two other men, Colonel Pavel Kutakhov, and Igor Yakovlev, whom TASS described as a military pensioner, were found guilty alongside Arslanov and received seven and six years in prison, respectively.

According to Russian media reports, Arslanov served as the communications chief and deputy head of the Ground Forces' Main Staff for communications beginning in 2009. In 2013, he was appointed head of Russia’s Main Communications Directorate and served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff.

Arslanov took part in Russia’s military operation in Syria, where he was responsible for setting up a network of satellite communication stations. Throughout his career, he was awarded multiple medals for his military service.

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