A Moscow court sent former Kursk Oblast Governor Alexei Smirnov to a two-month pre-trial detention center on April 16 in connection with a fraud case, the press service of Moscow courts reported.
Smirnov and his deputy Alexei Dedov are accused of embezzling over a billion rubles ($12 million) from the budget allocated to the Kursk Oblast Development Corporation for the construction of fortifications on the border with Ukraine.
Smirnov served as governor of Kursk Oblast from May to December 2024, during which Ukrainian forces launched an incursion into the oblast in August 2024 and managed to occupy part of the region until March of this year.
The former governor pleaded not guilty, Russian state media TASS reported, citing sources in law enforcement agencies.
According to Russia's Interior Ministry, Smirnov and Dedov led a criminal group and acted together with the management of the Kursk Oblast Development Corporation to embezzle funds meant for fortifications.
Earlier, law enforcement agencies also detained three corporation executives and the heads of unnamed companies that received payments but did not complete the contracted works.
Following Smirnov's resignation as governor in December 2024, Alexander Khinshtein became the acting governor of Kursk Oblast.
Ukraine initially seized 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory before Moscow, reinforced by North Korean units, launched a counteroffensive in March.
The Russian push coincided with a temporary pause in U.S. intelligence and military support for Ukraine, which resumed on March 11.
Asami Terajima
(Updated: )
