Moscow, Jul 26 (AP) A court in Moscow on Thursday ordered the head of a Defense Ministry's construction division to be detained for two months on suspicion of abuse of power, Russian news agencies reported, the latest in a series of arrests of high-ranking ministry officials this year.

Andrei Belkov heads the Military Construction Company, which builds bases, hospitals, schools and other facilities for the military, according to its website. The company came under the supervision of Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, who was arrested in April on charges of bribery.

Also Read | Typhoon Gaemi Aftermath: Violent Storm Leaves 3 Dead, 380 Injured in Taiwan (Watch Videos).

Several other top military figures also have been arrested on charges of fraud or bribery.

The online Russian news portal Meduza cited sources that it did not identify as saying Belkov was arrested in connection with the purchase of a tomography machine at overly high cost during the reconstruction of a military medical center.

Also Read | Hantavirus in US: Rat Disease Spreads to Humans, Kills 4 People; Know Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention.

He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Ivanov, Belkov's boss, was a close associate of Sergei Shoigu, whom President Vladimir Putin dismissed as defense minister soon after his May inauguration for a new term.

Shoigu had been widely criticized for Russia's setbacks on the battlefield in Ukraine, and was accused of incompetence and corruption by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who launched a mutiny in June 2023 to demand the dismissal of Shoigu and military chief of staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)