The former governor of Russia’s western Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, has been detained on suspicion of fraud, the Russian state news agency TASS reported on Wednesday.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison. His former deputy Alexei Dedov was also arrested, TASS reported.
Smirnov resigned from office in December 2024, well before the end of his term. According to media reports, the arrests followed testimony against the pair from a former senior official currently in custody for allegedly embezzling funds earmarked for regional defence fortifications.
The fortifications were constructed in 2022, shortly after President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Smirnov was appointed governor in May 2024. Just a few months later, Ukrainian forces launched a surprise counteroffensive that breached parts of the Kursk region, marking the first time the war reached Russian territory.