Sjamarin, who previously was vice chief of Russia's defense staff, claims to be willing to atone for his crime by fighting in Ukraine, according to his lawyer. This alternative has been accepted by many Russian criminals since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
If it is approved, Vadim Sjamarin will be sent there as a regular soldier, says the lawyer to the Russian news agency Tass.
Vadim Sjamarin was arrested in May 2024. Measures to combat corruption within the Russian military have been stepped up since Russia's President Vladimir Putin began his fifth term in March last year. There is great anger over the fact that large sums of money have gone straight into the pockets of high-ranking military officers, while thousands of Russian soldiers are fighting in Ukraine.
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