Arrest of Military Representative Office Head for Bribery in St. Petersburg
A court in St. Petersburg has remanded in custody the head of the 178th military representative office of the Ministry of Defense, Vladimir Nikitin. He is accused of receiving a bribe on an especially large scale while executing a state defense order.
Feb 28, 2026 0
The case involves allegations of bribery in a multi-million ruble defense contract for electronic equipment.
Source:
On January 29, a court in St. Petersburg decided to remand in custody the head of the 178th military representative office of the Ministry of Defense, Vladimir Nikitin. He has been charged with receiving a bribe on an especially large scale while executing a state defense order.
A criminal case has been initiated under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to the investigation, from 2021 to 2023, Nikitin was responsible for quality control and technical acceptance of special electronic equipment supplied under a multi-million contract with a commercial firm from St. Petersburg.
It is alleged that the official received a bribe from a representative of this organization to ensure the smooth signing of documents for the acceptance of electronic component bases intended for defense needs.
The detention of Captain 2nd Rank Nikitin was carried out on January 29 by officers of the FSB Directorate for St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast in cooperation with military investigators.
Currently, the court has chosen a preventive measure in the form of detention, and law enforcement agencies continue to investigate all details and circumstances of the incident.
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