Head of Russian Military’s Patriot Park Arrested in Bribery Probe
Vasilyev's arrest follows a recent series of detentions targeting executives and military supervisors connected to Patriot Park.
Russian military theme park head Igor Vasilyev was arrested in a bribery investigation, according to law enforcement sources and the Defense Ministry. Vasilyev is accused of accepting 80 million rubles in bribes, a figure reported by the Fontanka news website. Moscow prosecutors plan to place him in pre-trial detention later on Tuesday.
Vasilyev, who previously served as governor of Kirov region, assumed his current role at Patriot Park in March. His arrest comes after several other high-profile detentions linked to the theme park. Two of his deputies were apprehended last Friday over a fake contract scheme totaling 100 million rubles. Additionally, Major General Sergei Nikitushkin, who oversees a Defense Ministry department related to Patriot Park, was accused of accepting bribes by a military court on Wednesday.
Vasilyev's predecessor, Vyacheslav Akhmedov, received a five-year prison sentence in 2023 for fraud related to the theme park's construction. A series of purges targeting executives and military supervisors at Patriot Park began in April 2024, with the Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov being the first to be arrested. Vasilyev is among at least 12 defendants in cases related to the theme park, which is a military project aimed at showcasing Russian hardware and boosting national pride.
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