Russian General Overseeing Military Training Equipment Jailed Pending Trial

A Russian military court in Moscow has ruled that Major General Sergei Nikitushkin be kept in pre-trial custody, newspaper Kommersant reported, citing a decision by the 235th Garrison Military Court issued Wednesday evening. No details of the criminal case or the specific charges against him have been made public.

Nikitushkin, 51, led the department overseeing training facilities and equipment within the Main Directorate of Combat Training of Russia's Armed Forces. That directorate is responsible for supervising troop training, building training infrastructure, and supplying equipment used to prepare soldiers for combat.

He served during Russia's war against Ukraine and was elevated to the rank of major general by President Vladimir Putin in December 2024. According to the Telegram channel Baza, Nikitushkin had been involved in upgrading tank training grounds across Russia. He had previously voiced concerns about a lack of funding to procure simulators needed to train soldiers in operating armored vehicles, communications systems, drones and night-vision equipment, arguing that the war in Ukraine underscored how critical such tools were for combat readiness.

The directorate he worked under also has oversight of Patriot Park, a military exhibition complex outside Moscow that has figured in several embezzlement cases involving senior military officials. Among those already convicted are former Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov, whose sentence was later cut to 10 years, and Major General Vladimir Shesterov, a former deputy head of the Defense Ministry's innovation development directorate, who was sentenced to six years.

Putin named Colonel General Rustam Muradov to head the Main Directorate of Combat Training in June.