Russian ex-defence minister arrested for corruption, says Interfax

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Friday that Dmitry Bulgakov, a former deputy defence minister, had been arrested and charged with corruption, the Interfax news agency reported.

The RIA state news agency quoted the FSB as saying that an investigation was underway to establish the facts of Bulgakov's alleged "illegal activities." It said he was sent to a pre-trial detention centre in Moscow.

Bulgakov, who was in charge of military logistics until he was dismissed in September 2022, is the latest in a string of high-profile defence ministry figures to have been charged with corruption.

The arrests are the biggest scandal to hit the Russian army in years and come at a time when the new defence minister, Andrei Belousov, an economist with no military experience, has been tasked with purging the army of corruption and streamlining its finances to fund what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

The clampdown on high-level corruption began on April 23 with the arrest of Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov, a close ally of ex-defence ministry Sergei Shoigu.

Since then, at least five military and defence officials have been arrested.

The Kremlin has played down the previous arrests and said other Russian state agencies were engaged in similar anti-corruption efforts.

Bulgakov, 69, is a graduate of Russian military academies and has held various logistics positions in the army, according to his official biography.

He served as deputy defence minister until he was replaced in 2022 and is the recipient of several top military and civilian awards, including the Hero of Russia award, the country's highest honour.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Felix Light/Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Andrew Osborn)