Top Russian general fired amid bribery allegations

A top Russian general has been formally dismissed from his post after being arrested on bribery charges in May, according to Russian state media.

Lt Gen Vadim Shamarin was arrested amid a wider crackdown on corruption in the defence ministry and was accused of taking "a particularly large bribe" from a telecommunications company.

Prior to his arrest he had served as deputy chief of the army’s general staff overseeing the signals corps and military communications.

Prosecutors have accused him of taking bribes between April 2016 and October 2023 to ensure an increase in orders from the company's factory.

A military court in Moscow will decide later on Thursday whether to extend his pre-trial detention until October.

His lawyer, Igor Dyukin, told the RIA Novosti outlet that authorities had seized his client's car - a Mercedes - and frozen his salary card.

Lt Gen Shamarin was arrested amid a wider crackdown on senior military officials. A host of senior defence ministry staff has been detained in recent months, including Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov and Lt Gen Yuri Kuznetsov, head of the defence ministry’s personnel directorate.

It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed his long-term Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in May. He was replaced by Andrei Belousov, an economist with little military experience.

Experts have suggested that the crackdown marks an attempt by the Kremlin to boost efficiency in the Russian military and tackle corruption.

The anti-corruption drive has coincided with Russia making some incremental gains in eastern Ukraine. Intense fighting has focused on the Donbas region, where Moscow's troops are seeking to break through Ukraine's defensive lines.

Meanwhile, in Moscow, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that efforts to force the country into peace talks would fail.

Ms Zakharova rejected what she called ultimatums based on any formula proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

President Putin has set out hardline demands for any potential peace talks, demanding that Kyiv recognise Russia's claim over four Ukrainian territories in the south and east of the country.

For his part, Mr Zelensky has repeatedly said he will not speak to Mr Putin or any Russian representative until Moscow's forces leave Ukrainian territory.

Addressing a gathering of European leaders at the UK's Blenheim Palace on Thursday, Mr Zelensky condemned attempts to strike deals with Russia behind Ukraine's back.

The comments come after Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Moscow where he met with Mr Putin.