In Russia, funds for defense line construction were embezzled; the Prosecutor General's Office demands the recovery of $23 million from officials.

The Russian Prosecutor General's Office is demanding the recovery of 3.2 billion rubles (approximately $23 million) from Kursk officials due to fraudulent construction of a defense line.

The lawsuit has been filed in the Lenin District Court of Kursk, according to Russian media reports.

The defendants include Vladimir Lukin, head of the Kursk Region Development Corporation, his deputies Igor Grabin and Snezhana Martyanova (all currently under arrest), as well as their contractors.

The Russian Prosecutor's Office claims that from December 2022 to December 2023, Kursk officials entered into 23 contracts with contractors totaling 3.22 billion rubles for the construction of protective structures in the region.

The construction work was not completed in full, and funds were allegedly funneled through shell companies, according to the prosecution.

Moreover, Lukin, Grabin, and Martyanova reportedly received 25% of the contract amounts as compensation (at least 805 million rubles).

Background. It is worth noting that in early January, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked Russian troops in Kursk from several directions. This came as a surprise to the enemy, as highlighted by the Center for Counteracting Disinformation.