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Former Director of Russias Military Theme Park Sentenced for Construction Fraud

Former Director of Russias Military Theme Park Sentenced for Construction Fraud

A court in the Moscow region has sentenced the former head of Russia’s military-themed amusement park to five years in prison for fraud linked to government construction contracts, officials announced on Friday.

Vyacheslav Akhmedov, who previously directed Patriot Park, along with Vladimir Shesterov, a former senior official in the Defense Ministry, was arrested last year on charges of fraud associated with the park’s activities. Not long after, former Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov was taken into custody on similar accusations.

Both Akhmedov and Shesterov admitted their guilt and were placed under house arrest after providing testimony against Popov. Last month, a military court sentenced Shesterov to six years in prison.

On Friday, the Odintsovsky City Court in the Moscow region found Akhmedov guilty of large-scale fraud and forgery.

In addition to a five-year sentence in a medium-security prison, Akhmedov has been ordered to pay a fine of 300,000 rubles ($3,700), prohibited from holding public office for two years, and stripped of all state awards.

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of six years and a fine of half a million rubles ($6,200) for him.

Akhmedov and Shesterov were accused of inflicting “significant” harm on the Defense Ministry by falsifying construction documentation for work at Patriot Park from 2022 to 2024.

As part of a civil lawsuit, the court also mandated that the Defense Ministry be compensated 16 million rubles ($200,000) and Patriot Park 7 million rubles ($87,000), according to the state news agency RIA Novosti.

Investigators asserted that Popov had directed Akhmedov and Shesterov to manage the construction of a fully furnished two-story home, garage, guest house, and sauna that resembled facilities at Patriot Park on his private property in the Moscow region. They allegedly misled contractors, claiming that the nearly 26 million rubles ($320,000) worth of construction was part of Patriot Park and provided falsified information in official records.

Criminal proceedings are ongoing against Popov, who is a prominent figure facing multiple allegations, including bribery, abuse of power, fraud, and illegal possession of weapons.

Akhmedov, Shesterov, and Popov are part of a group of senior military officials arrested last year as part of an apparent crackdown within the Russian Defense Ministry regarding fraud.

Akhmedov had served as the director of Patriot Park from October 2021 until his arrest in August 2024.

Patriot Park, situated in Kubinka, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of Moscow, is a military-themed amusement park and exhibition center that features interactive displays of military hardware and equipment. In addition to live-firing ranges, the park also includes a grand Orthodox cathedral dedicated to the country’s armed forces.

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Russian Ruble Dips After EU Unveils New Sanctions on Energy and Banks Текст: The Russian ruble tumbled sharply on Wednesday, erasing part of its recent gains as investors reacted to fresh concerns over Western sanctions and weakening oil export revenues. The dollar surged nearly 3% in a few hours on the Moscow Exchange, climbing from 78.2 rubles in early trading to 80.49 by 1:45 p.m. local time. The euro jumped above 91 rubles, while the Chinese yuan rose almost 2% to 11.04 rubles. By late afternoon, the ruble had regained some ground, with the dollar retreating to 79.65 and the euro to 91.39. The ruble has been one of the world’s best-performing currencies in 2025, gaining roughly 40% since January. But analysts say the sharp pullback may signal a turning point. Its decline on Wednesday “may be tied to discussions in the EU about a new package of sanctions targeting Russian financial institutions and energy exports,” said Natalia Milchakova, a senior analyst at Freedom Finance Global. A proposed 18th round of EU sanctionsintroducedby the European Commission on Tuesday includes plans to disconnect 22 more Russian banks from the SWIFT global payment system, blacklist dozens of tankers involved in circumventing oil trade restrictions and ban transactions with the Nord Stream gas pipelines. The measures would also lower the price cap on Russian crude exports from $60 to $45 per barrel. Under the cap mechanism, oil sold above the limit would be ineligible for Western insurance and transport services — a move aimed at squeezing revenue from Russian energy exports. Experts warn that these measures, if adopted by the United States and G7 allies, could deliver the most serious blow to Russian oil exports since the European embargo imposed in late 2022. Sanctions have already sidelined much of the Kremlin’s “shadow fleet,” and if the price cap is lowered, Greek shipping firms — which have been instrumental in transporting Russian oil — may exit the market altogether, the Moscow-based Institute for Energy and Finance said. As a result, a noticeable reduction in seaborne oil exports from Russia is likely … and the Russian budget may face an even greater reduction in oil revenues in the second half of this year, the IEF wrote. The ruble is also under seasonal pressure, as exporters appear to have slowed their conversion of foreign currency earnings ahead of the Russia Day holiday weekend, Reuters reported. At the same time, Yevgeny Kogan, a Russian investment banker, said demand for foreign currency may have risen ahead of the long weekend. Adding to the pressure is a decline in oil revenues, which remain the backbone of Russia’s export economy. The average price of Urals crude fell to $52 per barrel in May compared to $66 in January, according to the Economic Development Ministry. That figure represents the lowest level in more than two years. Some analysts believe the ruble’s current weakness may be a harbinger of a more prolonged decline. Kogan predicted the currency could continue to weaken in June and July. Sofya Donets, chief economist at T-Investments,saidpressures could intensify into August, potentially pushing the exchange rate beyond 90 rubles to the dollar. The government-linked Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecastingwarnedthat the ruble could experience an “overshoot” in the opposite direction, reversing its earlier gains with a potentially steep depreciation. “The more overvalued the ruble is now,” the group said, “the more vulnerable it is to a sharp correction.”

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